Impossible Life
by Xealvi
Summary: Vaughn finally married his true love; Chelsea. Little does he know that winning her heart isn't even half the battle. Life still has a whole lot more to offer; and the drama and surprises that are yet to be revealed will be twice as shocking.
1. Disbelief

**A/N: Alright! First chapter up! This one is a little short; but it's the first chapter; only meant to sink you into the story. This is the sequel to Impossible Love and I hope to see all my old fans as well as some new ones too! I loved all your comments in the last story and I hope to make this one just as successful, if not more! Welcome back and get ready for quite an Impossible Life.

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**Disbelief**

When I wake in the morning, it's to my favourite sight in the entire world. Gently, I press my hard lips to her soft ones as my hands wrap closer around her waist.

"Good morning Chelsea." I whisper to my wife as I trail kisses down to her jawline, letting my lips linger over her skin.

She takes in a deep breath, and I can hear her breath vibrating in her chest. My eyebrows crease and I loosen my grip on her.

"Are you okay?" I ask her gently.

In response Chelsea groans and covers her head with the blanket. I'm a little worried about her, so I follow her under the covers.

She sees me and bangs her head against my chest as she wraps her arms around me. Gently I pull her close to me and hold her, while tenderly stroking her back.

After a few minutes, she lifts her eyes to mine. "Happy Anniversary."

My lips form a smile against my will. Chelsea and I had been married for a year now. It was probably the best year of my life. I'd quit my job in the city, so I lived on the Island full time now; except for Sundays where I went to the city to get animals for Mirabelle and Julia. Even better, I'd found out that my disease had gone into remission. But that wasn't the point right now.

Gently I kiss her. "And we will be certain to celebrate it later. But I need to know if you're okay."

Chelsea grimaces slightly. "My stomach hurts a bit."

I raise an eyebrow. "Did you eat something bad last night?"

That makes her laugh. "Well, you were the one to cook supper last night, so I don't think so."

I press my lips to her forehead. "Last night was fun wasn't it?"

Chelsea blushes a bright red. "It's fun every night."

I lift my hand to gently stroke the side of her face. "I love you Chelsea." The words that were once so hard to utter, are now the best words in my life.

"I love you too Vaughn." She reaches up to kiss me, but she abruptly sneezes.

I wince as some stray spit hits my face, and I wipe it off. When I open my eyes, her eyes are wide in horror.

"Oh, I am so sorry Vaughn. I didn't mean to sneeze on you!"

I nod my head understandably. "I know you didn't. But I think you may be coming down with something."

As if on cue, her hand presses against her stomach and she lets out a low groan. The next second, I've lost my comforting warmth as she jumps out of the bed and runs to the bathroom.

I'm shocked momentarily; but I'm up and following her before I can even comprehend it.

In the bathroom, I find Chelsea throwing up into the toilet. My eyes widen at the sight and my heart beats faster even as I calmly begin to draw back her hair and stroke her bare back to help her calm down.

When she finishes, she looks up at me; her own eyes wide. "Vaughn?" She whispers.

"Chelsea," I start as she licks her own lips. I'm still drawn to that little movement, and for a moment I just stare at her tongue before remembering what I was going to say. "When was your last period?"

Her eyebrows crease in confusion. "I can't remember."

I grab her wrist and I'm dragging her out of the bathroom. "We're going to see Dr. Trent." I tell her as we walk. He was here on vacation; even though it killed him to be away from his beloved wife Ellie. I understood the feeling.

"Vaughn we can't!" Chelsea cries out as we reach the door.

I spin around in surprise and grab her shoulders. "But you could be pregnant!"

She blushes and glances downward. "We'll go, but first we should put some clothes on."

I shut my eyes and throw my head backwards. "I almost did it again, didn't I?" I whisper even as she wraps her arms around me.

Chelsea laughs. "You're very excitable when you want to be."

I chuckle darkly and wrap my arms around her. "You know, I don't really want to go anymore."

She reaches up to kiss me lightly; only for a second. Nowhere near long enough to satisfy my craving.

"What would happen if I threw up on you? That's wouldn't be romantic at all." Then she turns around to head back to the bedroom to put clothes on.

Almost reluctantly, I follow her to the bedroom.

* * *

An hour later we're both sitting in Dr. Trent's room that he's renting at the Inn on the Island. Well, actually, she's sitting and I'm pacing the floor like an obsessed person.

"Vaughn, you're going to put a hole in the rug." Chelsea tells me, exasperated.

"Aren't you even close to being worried?" I ask her as I continue my pacing.

I must really be obsessed because I don't even notice that she got up until she's standing in front of me. Abruptly, I stop and glower at her from under my hat.

Chelsea's used to it though and just wraps her arms around me. I practically melt right there in her arms; I couldn't stay mad at her when she was like this.

"I'm not worried." She tells me as she lifts her head up. Her fingers grip my chin to keep me looking into her eyes; like I could actually move if I wanted to. "Because if I am pregnant it will be with the most wonderful man in the whole world."

I'm about to protest with the absurdity of the statement when her lips are on mine. Her lips are hot and the way she was kissing me was so sexy. She knew how to turn me on in less than five seconds flat. Let's just say that she's…well we _both_ have had a _lot_ of practice.

Someone clears their throat. Both Chelsea and I break apart, but neither of us embarrassed; just Dr. Trent. Well, we've gotten used to the embarrassment too.

"Well," Dr. Trent starts, obviously still trying to recover from seeing my make-out scene with Chelsea. "You're not pregnant. You have a bad cold. I would recommend some warm food, a little medicine and some sleep."

Suddenly his eyes narrow at me. "And I mean _sleep_ Vaughn. You do still remember what that is right?"

Chelsea's the only one laughing though. I sense that there's something that Dr. Trent wasn't telling us. After a moment of staring into my piercing gaze he sighs. "You both might want to sit down."

We do, my eyes never leaving Dr. Trent and my hands never leaving Chelsea. He doesn't sit down, but he just sighs again.

"You both want kids right?" Both Chelsea and I nod without needing confirmation from the other. We'd discussed it many times.

"How long have you been trying to get pregnant Chelsea?" Dr. Trent asks next.

"Since we got married." I tell him.

Chelsea laughs unexpectedly. "A little longer than that."

I blush as I remember the first time; back at my ex-apartment in the city. I was almost sad to see that place go. Almost.

"That doesn't really count." I tell her.

"That's what you think." Her voice is sexy as she winks at me.

Dr. Trent clears his throat again even as I feel like one of those anime characters with the bead of sweat that goes down the side of their face.

"Chelsea, I don't know how to tell you this but," Dr. Trent sighs again and I catch a look of pity in his eyes. "You can't have children."

I feel Chelsea stiffen under my touch. I want to have the same reaction; maybe with some yelling too, but I can't. "What do you mean I can't have children?" Her voice is strained and I rub my hand along her back to try and ease her.

Dr. Trent sighs again. I'm beginning to think that this guy has a real sighing problem. "Your ovaries are infertile. Therefore, well," He shrugs. "You know."

Chelsea doesn't seem upset though. "That can't be possible."

Dr. Trent goes on. "Actually it is. Many women-"

Chelsea just shakes her head. "No, I mean it's not possible for me." She turns to me. "Okay, remember the first time we had sex?" Chelsea doesn't even give me a chance to go back and remember the memory before she speaks again. "Well, technically it was the second but I still went to see a doctor just in case I was wrong. Your dad took me."

I nod slowly. So that was why my dad had taken so long. She continues on, but she's looking at Dr. Trent now. "He said I wasn't pregnant but he did say that I was perfectly healthy and able to have a baby at any time. So this can't be possible."

Dr. Trent seems to be at a loss for words. So I speak up. "Doc, is there any way that you can become infertile or whatever?"

He just shakes his head. "I've never heard of it happening it before."

I rub my face with my hands. How had this happened then? It obviously wasn't my fault or something Chelsea did. So, what the hell happened?

Dr. Trent is ranting about something when suddenly Chelsea intakes a sharp breath. "Magic?" She whispers. "Could magic do this?"

Dr. Trent looks at her funny. "There's no such thing as magic."

My eyes widen. While Dr. Trent didn't believe in magic; I did. Chelsea had introduced me to Witch Princess one day to thank her for some magic spell. Apparently, she was the reason I woke from my coma.

Chelsea just turns to me; her face deadly serious even as her eyes fill with unbelievable fear as she echoes my thoughts.

"Witch Princess."

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Less than ten minutes later, I'm banging on Witch Princess's door. Chelsea is right beside me; her hands clutching my arm.

"You can stop knocking." She whispers to me. "I think the first few hundred times ought to do the trick."

Reluctantly I stop knocking when she tells me to; even though my hand is still poised to knock again. As soon as I stop, the door opens.

"Would you quit with all the racket?" Witch Princess cries out, her blonde hair a mess. "I'm trying to concentrate!"

"We need to talk to you Witch Princess." I glare at her; not caring that her red eyes are blazing at me.

"It's about that potion you made me drink." Chelsea speaks up from beside me.

Witch Princess's face brightens up. "Did it work? Did you get a rash on your stomach?"

Chelsea looks startled. "You were trying to give me a rash?"

She frowns. "I'm guessing it didn't work then."

"No it didn't." Chelsea answers sweetly; and it scares me a bit and the amount of ice in that sweet voice. "In fact, you did such an awful job of screwing it up that you made me infertile."

It takes Witch Princess a second to figure at what she meant through her sweet/icy tone. Then she grimaces. "I'll have to add that to the list of side effects." She grumbles to herself and is about to head back inside when I lay a hand on her shoulder and whirl her around.

"Listen Witch," I start with enough ice in my voice to make even Julia's happy-go-lucky blood run cold. "You fix my wife now or else."

She laughs. "Or what? You'll try to hit me before I can turn you into a stuffed bear?" I wince slightly. That wouldn't be fun.

She laughs again. "I'll tell you what cowboy. I'll fix your wife on one condition."

"What?" I growl out at her.

"You have to live with me for a year."

"WHAT?" Chelsea practically screams at the top of her lungs. "No. Absolutely not. I _will not_ allow this."

She grabs me arm and tries to walk away. "Come one Vaughn. It's okay. I can do without…"

I don't move though. Instead I wrap her in my arms even as she begins to sob. We knew each other so well now. I tighten my grip on her; never wanting to let go.

Gently I look into her eyes. Just like she'd done earlier that day, I use my fingers to make her look into my eyes. "Chelsea it's only a year. And you can't just go without. We're talking about having kids. You've wanted them your entire life."

Her face is pained as the tears streak down her face. "But it's our anniversary. You can't leave."

"When I come back, it will be our anniversary again." Tears start to leak out of my eyes too. "Chelsea, please. Let me do this for you."

She just shakes her head; tears pouring down her face, matching the ones running down mine. I hated seeing her cry; and a year without her might kill me. But I had to do this.

"You can see me every day." I remind her. "I'm just a ten minute walk away."

Her chin quivers and her eyes are full of tears that are yet to race down her face. My heart hurts, and I wish I could give it to her. Instead I lean down and kiss her powerfully. Our lips crush each other as we battle for dominance in the kiss. It was passionate. It was desperate. But I have to break it off. Because I love her.

"I love you Vaughn." Chelsea whispers against my lips.

"I love you too Chelsea." My voice breaks on her name as I choke on my tears. Gently I place my hat on top of her head. Tears streak down both of our faces as I kiss her one more time. Sweetly. Slowly. Lovingly.

Then I turn away from Chelsea and the bright sunshine outside to follow Witch Princess into the dark and cold regions of her house.

The door slams shut just as I look over my shoulder. I don't even catch a last glimpse.

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**A/N: I'm cruel aren't I?**


	2. Weeks 1 through 3

**A/N: Okay, I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while but I have a lot on my plate right now. I'm taking a bunch of high-level courses and the teachers are packing on homework that i should be procrastinating on. Plus, this week I have a tennis match every single day besides Friday. So I'm going to miss my Chemistry and English class twice each this week! ACK!**

**But yes, I got the second chapter up. This story should be undated on a weekly basis, since I have the most time then. So I hope you all enjoy it; and let me tell you, I am OVERJOYED that I got 11 reviews on just the first chapter! Thank you all!**

**I do not own Harvest Moon. If I did; I would have told you already! Duh!

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**Week 1: Torture**

"Oh stop being so sullen." Witch Princess snaps at me as I lay glumly upside down my bed. She'd just poofed a mattress into existence; and that was where I got to sleep. It wasn't the best sleeping quarters ever; but I could think of better ones.

"Not until I get to see my wife again." I snap back at her. I'd been trapped in these four walls for an entire week; with no fresh breath of air or a single sight of Chelsea.

Witch Princess walks in front of me so that I'm staring right at her high heeled black shoes. Then she begins to tap her foot impatiently. With a great sigh, I right my position and glare at her.

Then she rolls her eyes and walks back over to her cauldron where she was working on some spell. "I don't understand why you like her so much."

I snort. "Just 'cause you're a self-righteous bitch who likes to toy with other people emotion's doesn't mean the rest of us are."

Witch Princess turns on her heels and points a finger at me. "Just because you're staying her under my wishes doesn't mean you won't wake up as a toad one day."

I snort again and give her the finger. She stiffens and turns back to her concoction. A slight smirk crosses my lips; I was done being nice to her and getting her mad was entertaining. Now I knew how Skye felt when he toyed with me.

But I really did miss Chelsea. Besides helping the Witch with a few potions, I was basically alone with my thoughts all day long. While it was better to be with my thoughts now that it was a couple years back; it still made me miss Chelsea. Especially now that my subconscious had more substance for little fantasies.

"Look." Witch Princess turns to me with her arms crossed over her chest. "If I show you your wife will you stop sulking?"

I think about hat for a second. While it _was_ fun to torture the Witch with my attitude, I wanted to see Chelsea more. So I nod and walk over to her.

She smirks. "Looks like I've found my bargaining tool." I just glare at her. After I had entered her house a week ago she had told me that Chelsea wouldn't be allowed to visit. It had been complete torture to me when Chelsea had yanked on the door, trying to get it open. I'd talked to her through the door, telling her what the Witch told me. She hadn't come back since.

Witch closes her eyes and raises her hands over the burning cauldron. I'm surprised to see that it was full of clear water. The reason it surprised me was because I'd been watching Witch pour ingredient after ingredient into that cauldron.

She starts to mutter words under her breath; but I can't tell what they are. Her curly blonde hair rises slightly, as if a breeze was blowing on her.

A buzzing starts to fill my ear and I swipe my hand beside my head; suspecting a fly. But when the noise doesn't go away I glance down at the cauldron to see the liquid inside beginning to shimmer.

My eyes widen (even though I'm used to various acts of magic by now) when I see an image of our house fill the water. Inside, Chelsea was sitting at the table, drinking a mug of hot chocolate.

I wonder if she's okay. It was still spring, but maybe that cold Doctor Trent said she had was getting worse.

"I should be with her." The words are a low murmur as I gaze lovingly upon my wife. She was dressed in her average farming clothes and she was covered in flour. I glance over at the kitchen to find a failed dish along with bags of open chocolate, eggs, milk and flour on the counter. I notice that Stark was licking up some spilled oil.

A pang goes through my heart. She was trying to learn how to cook. Didn't she know that was impossible by now? No matter how much I taught her she just couldn't get it. But there she was trying to learn to cook chocolate cake. Chelsea wouldn't even ask Pierre for help; she was just that stubborn.

Then I notice what she was looking at. In her hands she was flipping through a photo album. My breath catches as the view closes in on the album.

Inside of it were pictures of us. Ones from our wedding, from our honeymoon and from our daily life. I had known that Chelsea liked taking pictures around me a lot, but I hadn't known she was going to make an album out of them.

Suddenly Chelsea's head moves up and she looks around with a confused expression on her face. She stops moving her head when it appears like she was looking right at me.

"Chelsea," I whisper softly, my entire being going out to her.

"Vaughn?" I see her mouth my name as she gets up off her chair and walks closer to me. Her hand reaches out towards me; when she disappears.

I twitch slightly. I'd forgotten that I'd only been looking at an image of her. Angrily, I splash the water inside the cauldron; making the Witch Princess cry out.

Still angry, I storm away from her as she cleans up the spill. Seeing Chelsea had been such a blessing; but to have it end like that had been pure cruelty.

I plop myself back down on the bed; lying upside down too. My hat falls to the ground, but I don't care.

Witch Princes walks up to me, her hands on her hips. "That wasn't necessary."

I snort. "Yes it was."

One of her eyebrows rise as she kneels down to look me in the eyes. For once her red eyes aren't burning in hate; but are simply red. "I let you see Chelsea. That was what you wanted wasn't it?"

"Are you always such a bitch?" I ask her, my eyes narrowed into slits.

Witch Princess taps my cheek lightly with her thin fingers. "Welcome to my world."

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**Week 2: Test**

"Hey Cowboy! Get your ass out of bed! I need your help!"

"Hey Witch! Why don't you make me?"

As soon as the words are out of my mouth I regret them because the next second I'm standing in my boxers by Witch Princess's cauldron.

It might have just been me, but her face looked like it had a slight blush to it as she looked at me. "Why aren't you dressed?"

"I don't sleep fully clothed. No one does." I shake my head at her. "You can't just zap me places and expect me to be dressed."

She just rolls her eyes and snaps her fingers. The next second, I glance down at myself and find that I'm fully dressed. Now it's my turn to roll my eyes as I let out a huge sigh.

"I really wish you would stop doing that Witch."

"And I wish you would get your ass out of bed before noon."

"What else am I supposed to do?" I yell at her, flinging my arms into the air. "There's nothing to do here! I'm bored out of my mind and I miss my wife like crazy!"

She taps her foot impatiently; she seems to do that a lot around me. I would think that being alive so long would have made her patient but apparently not.

"You going to listen to what I'm going to say or do I have to zip your mouth shut?" Her deadly matter of fact look sent the message with crystal clarity. I shut up.

The Witch nods smugly and I glare at her in hatred as she begins to speak. "My niece is coming to visit in a few weeks and I want to test a spell on you for her."

I snort. "Why should I let you experiment on me?"

A sweet smile makes the corners of her lips turn upwards. "Because if you don't, I won't fix your wife."

"That's blackmail Witch." I snap angrily at her. There was no way I was going to be her little lab rat.

"That's life Cowboy." She snaps back at me, a smug little smirk on her face that I want to wipe off.

"I have a name." I grumble; knowing that I was beat.

"So do I, but you don't ever use it."

"I don't know you name! If you told me, then I might use it!"

Witch raises her hand to her chin and looks at me seriously. Her index finger taps her skin a few times before she drops her hand and speaks again. "Well, if you do this for me I'll call you by your name. And I'll tell you my name so you can call me by mine. Deal?"

I sigh. Not the deal that I want; but I suppose it could make this whole ordeal a bit more manageable. "Deal."

"Great." She smiles at me as she pulls a small vile out of her robe. She hands it to me as I suspect the slimy green stuff.

"This looks like shit." I tell her bluntly as I scrunch my nose in disgust.

She nods. "Close enough."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "What's in this?"

Her eyes roll back a bit as she begins to list off ingredients. "Newt's eye, demon's breath, shitake mushrooms, white grass, lizard urine-"

I hold my hand up in the middle of her sentence. "I am not drinking lizard shit."

She frowns slightly. "You can't taste it. I've got a bunch of magical components in there too and they cover it up. Plus, I added a bit of cinnamon to make it taste better."

Suddenly she smirks. "Unless you're too chicken to try it."

I wish I could let out a groan. That was low. So, before I can lose my confidence, I pop the cork and drain the entire thing.

The instant the liquid is down my throat, my hands release the vile and it shatters into a thousand pieces on the floor. My hand presses against my chest and my vision starts to swim in front of my eyes.

Then it's gone. I try to blink, but my eyelids won't drop. I try to take a deep breath but my nose isn't working. I'm not breathing, but I'm still alive. What the hell?

I try to say something, but my mouth won't open. Desperately I try to move anything at all; but nothing works. I can't even hear my own heart beat.

Abruptly, I'm moving. Witch Princess's face looms in front of me and I'm shocked that her face takes up my entire vision. There's a smile wide across her face.

"Congratulations Vaughn. You passed my little test. You are now a miniature teddy bear."

If looks could kill, she would be dead right now.

Maybe she could hear my thoughts because the next second she laughs. "Alright, I'll get you out of there." I'm placed back on the ground, feeling a little exposed.

I hear her mutter more of her little magic words I've come to hate, and then I'm standing up tall again.

Unsettled, I step backwards to get my bearings. Witch Princess is laughing in front of me. "That'll be a great surprise for Witchkin!"

"She your niece?" I almost feel bad for the kid. Then again; with Witch as her aunt the kid was probably rotten too.

She rolls her eyes. "Yes, the little brat is my niece. She is such a pain, so I made that concoction to put her in her place when she arrives." Witch snickers suddenly. "She hates bears."

I snort. I think I do too now. But I don't tell her that. Who knows what she'd do to me if I told her that.

Witch Princess smiles at me and then starts to walk away. Just before she vanishes into the back she turns around and looks at me. "My name's Tianna."

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**Week 3: Tears**

It's pitch black when I wake up; which is weird. I was used to sleeping until noon because there was nothing better to do. Why was I awake in the middle of the night?

I'm about to turn over and force myself back to sleep when I hear quiet sobbing. My interest perks. There was only one other person in the house; but why would Witch Princess be crying?

Quietly, I get out of bed and move towards the sound. Sure enough, it was coming from Tianna's bed.

More curious than ever now, I ease back the purple curtains that hung around her bed. Dimly, I can make out her form underneath the mass of blankets.

"Tianna?" I whisper.

Suddenly a flash of red light sends me sprawling backwards on the ground. The sound of crying ceases as Witch jumps out of her bed, her red eyes flaring in anger and her face tear-streaked.

"What the hell are you doing?" She yells at me. "I could have friend you like ant!"

I groan as I lay on the floor. "I think you broke something."

She doesn't seem concerned. "Stay the hell out of my bed."

I still can't get up, so when she tries to blend back into the darkness, I speak up. "Why were you crying?"

Sure enough; she stops. "I'm not crying."

I snort. "Yeah, and I'm the Easter Bunny."

Tianna stiffens and sticks her nose in the air. "I don't have to tell you."

I snort again as I attempt futilely to get off the floor. "Yeah you do. Because otherwise I'm going to tease you about it relentlessly."

She sighs as she walks over to me. With another sigh, she sinks to the ground next to me. Her hair is unnaturally flat; and it made me wonder if she did something with it when she woke up. And her red eyes seem dull and lifeless.

"I'm jealous of your wife."

"Huh?" Whatever it might have been that I was expecting; it wasn't that.

"You heard me." She chokes out as more tears run down her face. "She's deeply in love with you and you feel the same way. You guys make each other happy."

Tianna sniffles. "I-I-I, I've n-never known what that f-feels l-like." Then she buries her head into her hands and she starts to ball again.

I'm shocked, so I wasn't really processing properly because the next second I blurt out. "You've been alive how long?"

She sniffles again. "About 500 years."

I let out a low whistle; partly glad that she hadn't turned me into a mushroom or something this time. "And you've never had a boyfriend or anything?"

Tianna shakes her head sadly. "Not even a first kiss."

I don't think I could ever be scared of her again. Not after seeing her like this; when she's most vulnerable. Not after experiencing pity for the poor Witch.

"No one likes witches you see." She explains through a sob. "They all take one look at me and run for the hills. No one even gives me a chance."

Awkwardly (since I still can't get off the floor), I pat her back a couple times and then let my hand drop.

She sniffles again, but the tears have stopped flowing; so I guess that was a good thing. "They're all too busy with the Harvest Goddess anyway. No one wants to associate with her rival."

I snort. "I'm here aren't I?"

She glares at me. "But you don't have a choice."

I point my finger at her. "But I did remember? Chelsea and I could have gone without, or we could have adopted. We didn't need you. Yet here I am."

As soon I say it, I kick myself for not thinking about that 3 weeks ago. Oh well. It made her stop crying.

"Really?" She smiles and for the first time she looks like she might actually be sort of nice.

I nod. "Yes Tianna. Someday you'll meet someone that (goddess forbid) will fall in love with you. Then you won't need to be jealous."

Witch Princess smiles again. "Thank you Vaughn. Now I can see why Chelsea fell in love with you. When you want to be, you can actually be a nice guy."

Gently, I push her away from me. Then I glance around like I was looking for a hidden person. Next, I whisper to her. "Just don't tell anyone; it'll ruin my reputation."

She laughs again and helps me stand up. It felt good to be off my back and thankfully I hadn't broken anything.

"Your secret's safe with me." She whispers as she crosses her heart. That motion made me smile a bit; both Calvin and Ashlyn did that too.

Witch Princess walks back to her bed and vanishes among all her blankets and stuffed bears. From that area, I hear her call out. "Goodnight Cowboy."

"Goodnight Witch." I call back to her, which makes her laugh.

I chuckle as I walk back to my mattress. Gently, I lay down; the soft cushioning a better feeling on my back than the hard wood had been.

Turning over onto my side, I catch sight of the moon shining in through the window. It made me wonder if Chelsea was awake and looking at the same moon right now. A pang goes through my heart. Another 13 weeks of this might end up killing me.

I hope that she's doing all right. I hope that she's not in as much pain as I am. I hope we can both make out the rest of the lonely year.

My eyes close, but I can still feel the moonlight on my face. Softly I whisper; praying the words reach the ears of my wife.

"Goodnight Chelsea. I love you."

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**So what did you think? The next couple chapters will be in this same style too; until Vaughn finally gets to go back to Chelsea. Sorry for leaving you guys with these huge cliff-hangers, but they're so much fun to write! ;)**

**See you all next week and don't forget to review! Thank you!  
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	3. Weeks 4 through 6

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is short; but I want to get out of Witch Princess's house ASAP! And FWI, I heard people wondering why there are only 16 weeks in a year. In the HM game; there are 4 weeks in a season, and 4 seasons. So there will be 16 weeks in a year. Besides, you all don't want to me to go through 52 little scenes with Vaughn and Witch Princess do you? I would like to get back to Chelsea. :)**

**So please review! I'm sorry this is a week late update, but I hope you like it!**

**I do not own Harvest Moon. I should though with all this work I put into it. *sighs* Just kidding. Enjoy!

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**Week 4: Witchkin**

"Hurry up cowboy!" Witch Princess yells at me. "My niece will be here any minute and I don't want her to see you half naked!"

I roll my eyes from beneath my closed eyelids and pull the blanket over my body as I lay on the bed. "There? You happy?" I spit out at her.

She harrumphs and I hear her snap her fingers. Abruptly I'm standing in front of her, completely dressed.

I cross my arms angrily. "I hate it when you do that."

"Maybe you'll actually get up next time then." Witch Princess has a smug look all over her face that I want to wipe off so bad.

"Or maybe you could let me wallow in my misery for once." I snap back at her, glaring at her full force.

She just waves her hand. "I can't have you disturbing my peace with your depression. So you'll get up."

I pull my hat closer over my eyes so I wouldn't have to look at her. Witch just laughs at my motion and walks off somewhere.

I flip her off behind her back; but apparently she could see it because she only laughs harder. Angrily, I stalk off back to my bed and lie down to stare at the ceiling.

"Hey Old Lady! I'm here to beat you with my magic!" A young voice calls out as a door slams, making me wince.

"Who are you?" The same voice says from right beside me. I turn my head and look over to see a pretty much miniature version of Witch Princess.

The girl has blond hair held up in pigtails by tadpole clips. Her eyes were a soft purple, lighter than mine. She was dressed in pink robes and a purple cape along with tons of frog accessories.

I snort. "Anyone ever tell you it's not polite to sneak up on people?"

The little girl frowns. "I didn't sneak up on you. You were awake."

"How do you know that?"

"You're dressed and your eyes were open."

"Fair enough." I sit up and clamp my hands together as I stare at the girl. "Are you Tianna's niece?"

She nods curtly. "How did you know that?"

I shrug. "Lucky guess."

She glances down and her eyes widen to the size of saucers. Faster than I could have imagined she'd be able to move, she grabs my hand and holds it up to my eye level.

Then she points to the ring on my finger. "Are you married to her?"

I snatch my hand from her cold grip. "Ugh, no."

She looks skeptical though. "Why are you here then?"

"How long are you here?"

Suddenly Witch Princess appears. Her eyes narrow at her niece. "Ah, Witchkin. I see you've decided to finally get here."

Witchkin turns on her aunt, her eyes flaming. "I came to beat you hag. I am far more superior in magic than you."

Witch Princess just rolls her eyes. "Nice to see you too brat." Then she turns to me. "Vaughn, this is Witchkin. Try not to pay her too much attention."

I roll my eyes. "I'll give her exactly the same amount of attention as I do you."

Witch Princess looks confused for a second. "But you never talk to me unless I make you."

I let out a grin. "That's the point."

She frowns as Witchkin laughs. "You guys are married."

Tianna turns on Witchkin. "No we are not!" Was it just me or was her face slightly flushed? I pray that it's just the light.

Witchkin still looks skeptical. "You guys sure fight like a married couple."

I snort in disgust at the same time Witch Princess sneers. "That's your only reason? You and I fight, but we're not married."

Witchkin rolls her eyes. "Yeah, but I'm not a boy. And he's sleeping in this house."

Now I roll my eyes. "Your aunt has kidnapped me. I'm stuck here for 12 more weeks before I can go home to my wife; Chelsea."

Witchkin snorts. "I don't believe you guys." Then she stomps off somewhere.

I groan and lay back down on the bed. This was going to fun. Not.

* * *

**Week 5: Walk**

Walk to Tianna's bed. Walk to mine. Walk to Witchkin's bed. Back to Tianna's bed. And thus the cycle continues.

"What _are_ you doing?" Witchkin asks me for about the hundredth time in the past hour.

"Pacing." I mutter as I pass her again as I continue my laps around the house. I knew every single inch of this house; every single crack in the ceiling. I needed a release.

"Why though?"

I let out a long sigh as I pass her yet again. "Because I'm sick."

"No you're not. If you were, you'd be lying in bed."

Witch Princess laughs from where she's sitting on her bed. "No, Vaughn's right. He never gets out of bed; so he must be sick." She sneers at me. "He hasn't stopped pacing for 6 hours."

I glare at her and continue walking with no comment. The constant protest coming from my feet was nothing compared to the ache in my heart right now.

"Well then what's wrong with him?" Witchkin asks Tianna; forgetting for a second that she hates her.

"I've been trapped in this house for five weeks!" I snap at her; losing my patience with the little brat.

"So?"

"I haven't seen the sun in five weeks! I haven't been _outside_ in five weeks!" I groan as I pass her bed again. One of these rounds I was going to knock her off.

"So?"

I glare at her from beneath my hat without stopping. "I haven't seen my _wife_ in five weeks." The truth of the matter; I missed Chelsea. A lot.

Witch Princess laughs. "He's just upset that he's not getting any."

Now I glare at her as Witchkin burst into laughter. This time, I knock Witchkin off her bed as I walk around the room. She lands with an 'oof' on the hard floor.

But she just brushes herself off and hops back on the bed again. "Why don't you just do it with Tianna then if you want to so bad?"

I actually stop pacing. My legs feel weird from the sudden halt in movement; but I ignore it as I turn on Witchkin with furry in my eyes.

"Witchkin!" I roar at her as I hold up my hand. "Do you know what the hell this is?"

She looks at my hand; not intimidated in the slightest. "A wedding ring?"

"To _Chelsea_. I love her more than anything in the entire world; and I miss _her_. I don't miss having sex, I miss seeing the woman who makes my life worth living."

Witchkin doesn't say anything, and I turn away from her. I pick up my aching feet and walk to the window sill, where I sit down.

"I'm going crazy in this house." I mutter to myself; not even acknowledging that they're there. "I feel like I'm going to explode if I don't see her soon."

"Tianna probably wants to do it with you."

I turn around to see Witch princess blushing furiously as she shoots a spray of magic towards her niece. Cause that statement wasn't awkward _at all_. My eyes roll and I stand up from the window sill to continue pacing around the room.

Time passes as I wallow in my morbid thoughts. My feet hurt still; but my heart hurts even more with every passing second. At this moment; I pity any fool trying to keep up a long-distance relationship. It's an awful time.

But I would make it. I'd make it back to Chelsea. One lap around the house at a time.

"So what are you doing?

* * *

**Week 6: Wolf**

"He he he, it was so funny. I'll never forget the look on his face!"

I groan and roll over on the bed; covering my head with a pillow. Seriously; I was always lying down here. I was so freaking bored.

"Who are you talking to Witch? Witchkin left to go look for frogs remember?" I ask her the question, but I'm not really interested in the answer.

She snorts. "Yes, the stupid rain has brought those cursed frogs out again. Good riddance to them all!"

I raise my head to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "But who are you talking to?"

"My bears silly." She giggles as she gestures to the stuffed bears she had surrounded herself with. "I'm telling them a story about a wolf I once knew."

"I feel sorry for the guy already." I mutter under my breath.

Her eyes narrow at me. "Would you like to hear the story Vaughn?"

I shrug and place the pillow back on the bed, crossing my arms over it. "Why not?"

A slight smile actually crosses her face as she looks at me. I frown at her and the smile vanishes. Good.

She begins talking; still staring me down. "Well, a long time ago I became really bored. So I decided to create a little island with this huge forest."

I hold back a rude comment.

"I was in this forest all the time; and I knew it like the back of my hand." She smiles to herself at the memory. "Anyway, one day I was deep inside the forest when this wolf came along. So I decided to play a trick on him."

I hold back another rude comment.

"I walked up to the wolf and asked him to give me directions out of the forest. But he gave me the wrong directions! He gave me directions so I would go even deeper into the forest!"

She sneers. "He was such a nuisance. I revealed to him who I was; and then I turned him into a worm!" Witch princess giggles; her eyes lighting up. "His face was priceless!"

I burry my face in the pillow so she doesn't see me roll my eyes. That was such a stupid story. And a little cruel too; but then again, I knew just how cruel the Witch could be.

"Do you think he got what he deserved?"

"Sure." I mumble out; I wasn't going to upset her. Personally; I would like to not be bird food when I see my wife again.

"Thank you! That same wolf had been playing tricks on a nearby village too."

"How he could have thought of tricking you is beyond me." Another hidden eye roll.

"Exactly!" I look up to see her grinning broadly. "Thanks for listening Vaughn. It's been a while since I've been able to talk about my past with someone else."

I wonder why?


	4. Weeks 7 through 9

**A/N: I am SO SORRY That I haven't updated this in...what...a month and a half? I am SUPER SORRY! But this story WILL go on; I have BIG plans for it. **

**First, I want to thank Shadowsheartrose15 for kicking me in the butt to get this chapter up. Thanks to you, it's a quarter after midnight on a school night and I'm posting this chapter for you all! Everyone spread the love.**

**Not sure when you can expect another update, but I will attempt to not let it go that long without an update again. :) Please review, and don't forget to go to my profile and vote an my new poll about a story idea!

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**Week 7: Hidden Visit**

_ZAP!_

"HA! TAKE THAT YOU OLD HAG!" The young voice cries out victoriously as she sends a bolt of lightening hurdling towards her aunt.

Witch Princess dodges the blast and sends her own lightening bolt straight out of her fingertips. "MISSED ME BRAT!"

I sit on my bed, barely paying the dual any attention at all. It wasn't all that exciting after you got over the initial shock of nearly having your head blown off by a nine-year old girl. Not much was going to be able to surprise me once this was all over.

With a bored look plastered over my face, I dunk my head as a stray bolt of lightening comes my way. It strikes right above my pillow. This has happened before, and I wasn't going to pay it any attention at all; until I heard a slight fizzing noise come from behind me.

My eyes widen slightly and I turn around dramatically slow to look behind me. Sure enough; there was a hole in the wall.

It takes a moment for this information to fully register. But when the sun hits my eyes and makes them water, the knowledge hits me like a train.

I take in a deep breath of the fresh air. Who knew that it could smell so sweet? Or that I'd miss it so much. It was little things like this; things I'd taken for granted before, that I could really appreciate now. After they'd been stolen from me.

The hole is about half the size of my face, so I lie down on my bed so that I can look outside. It appeared like it was midway through spring now. I knew that I still had about nine more weeks left here. Suddenly something catches my eyes and I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming.

Nope, I wasn't dreaming. She was really there. Long bronze hair. Ocean blue eyes. Creamy skin. Chelsea was standing just a little distance away picking up stray grasses.

"DON'T RUN AWAY FROM ME BRAT!"

"I'M NOT RUNNING! I'M BEING SMART!"

_ZZZZZIIIIIIIITTTTT!_

_ "Chelsea!"_ I use their moment of snarling at each other to call out to my wife. Her head snaps up and I see her beautiful eyes widen. God, I was drinking in her image like I was a starving man at an all you can eat buffet. _"Chelsea!"_

She can't see me yet, but she draws close to where my voice is; I can see the disbelief on her face.

_"Chelsea! Down here!" _I whisper anxiously, I need to see her face.

Chelsea's right in front of me now, and she leans down to see me. Her mouth opens in a perfect 'o', and she drops to the ground so see can see me.

Her eyes flit along my features as I know that mine are. Her eyes are glistening with tears, and I can feel my own eyes beginning to fill with tears.

"Vaughn," She chokes out, even as she pinches herself; to check if she was awake like I had done.

"Chelsea," I breathe out. "It's real. It's me."

"I know." She chokes again, a tear sliding down her face. "I miss you so much."

I place my hand on the edge of the hole. I couldn't put my hand all the way through; the hole wasn't large enough. But when Chelsea places her hand on top of mine, her touch is all I need.

"I miss you too love." I whisper to her. "But I love you. Know that? I love you. I love you so much."

Chelsea hiccups, like she was holding back a sob and a laugh at the same time. "You sound like a man who's been handed his death sentence."

I shake my head softly and squeeze her fingers tightly; relishing the small contact I could have with my wife. "No, just a man who's seen the most beautiful thing in his life."

She blushes just like I remember she used to. God, she was so close, yet she was so far. Gently, I bring her petite hand through the small hole and run my lips over her skin. I just couldn't help myself.

Chelsea giggles softly. "Vaughn are you crazy?"

"Crazy about you." I mutter softly as I press a kiss to her wrist and let her slide her hand back out of the hole. I knew I was being corny and a sap, but I didn't care. I would tell the entire world every single day that I was a sap if I got to be with her again.

"How did this hole get here?" She asks me, even as her face flushes bright red at my declaration.

I nod my head to the back of the house. "Witch Princess and her niece are decking it out on each other. One of their bolts hit the wall and must have jarred something loose." I look deep into her eyes, a bright sky blue that I could never get tired of. "But I'm glad that it did."

Chelsea grins so wide, I would fear she would break her face if I hadn't seen her smile like that before. "I'm glad I decided to come over this way again today." Then she leans close to the hole to place a kiss on my hand. "I'm coming here every single day from now on. I was going crazy without you."

I smile along with her. "So was I. Make sure you come in the early morning hours, because that's when they're both asleep.

"I can do that." She smiles and then looks up at me. "I love you Vaughn."

"I love you too Chelsea."

* * *

**Week 8: Attitude Change**

It's morning and Chelsea had just left. Ever since the battle between Witchkin and Tianna took place (which Tianna won), I'd kept the hole a secret from the both of them. For some reason, I got the feeling that Witch Princess didn't want me to see Chelsea while I was in her house. But hell, if I was given this opportunity, I was damn well going to take it!

I can't help humming to myself as I busy myself around the kitchen. My spirits were soaring out of the depression I'd maintained the past weeks; I could compare this feeling only with the feeling I'd gotten being a newlywed. Minus the exploration. But I still got butterflies when she showed up, and I counted down the hours until I saw her again. It made me ever more certain that she was the girl for me. It was her for life.

A very disorientated and sleepy Witch Princess walks into the kitchen with a moody and confused Witchkin, both drawn by the smell of hash-browns and eggs.

"Good morning ladies." I great them both with a slight smirk as I fill up plates for the two of them and set them down on a table.

"FOOD!" Witchkin practically jumps on me in her quest to satisfy her hunger. I visibly wince as she practically swallows my food whole; not giving the flavor a chance to linger in her mouth.

"Pig." I mutter under my breath as Witch Princess takes her breakfast. She looks warily at me and even goes as far as to sniff the food cautiously.

"Oh for goodness sakes." I groan and roll my eyes. In one swift motion I pick up her fork, stab some food and shovel it in my mouth. Then I put her fork back and swallow the food. "It's not poisoned, just eat it."

Tianna takes the fork I had just used and wipes it delicately on her robe. I don't restrain myself from rolling my eyes at her. She was being completely ridiculous.

I turn away and begin to clean up the slight mess that I'd made, humming a country song under my breath the entire time. Maybe I was acting a little too happy; but I honestly didn't care. I'd hid the hole too well anyway. They'd never find it.

"What's wrong with you?" Witchkin suddenly blurts out with her mouth full of chewed up food.

I flinch at the sight and turn around so I didn't have to see my food being massacred. "Nothing's wrong with me."

"But you're acting really happy."

"Is that a crime?"

"No, but-"

"There's nothing wrong with me."

"But you're _never_ this happy. You always mope around and complain."

I turn to her and give her a stone cold glare; which is actually pretty hard to do when my thoughts are full of Chelsea. "I'm almost half done with my imprisonment. Excuse me for being a little excited at the thought of going home to my wife." I was more than a _little_ excited, but I wasn't about to mention that out loud.

"I still think there's something wrong with you." She mumbles while shoving more food in her mouth; like she was afraid I would take it away from her because she made rude comments towards me. Any other day I might have; but I was really in an amazingly good mood.

So I shrug instead. "You think what you want to think, but just know it's not the truth." Then I begin to eat my own helping of hash-browns and eggs.

Witchkin finishes eating and runs out of the house before anyone can get her to clear her own dishes. I graciously do it for her.

Tianna watches me the entire time as I wash Witchkin's dishes and then put them away. When I catch her looking, I raise my eyebrow at her in an unspoken question.

"You are acting different." She admits as she avoids contact with my eyes.

I look at her cautiously. "Like I told your niece, I'm almost half way done living here. I miss my wife."

She sighs moodily. "Yeah…I guess."

Now I raise both of my eyebrows at her. "Who got your potions in a bunch?"

She just shakes her head. "You wouldn't understand."

I shrug, unconcerned. "Whatever."

Under my breath, I continue to hum my merrily little country tune for the rest of the breakfast. She continues too look at me funny, but I honestly don't care. I'm already looking forward to seeing Chelsea in twenty four hours by the hole again. Little miracles.

* * *

**Week 9: Jumping to Conclusions**

It's near dusk, and I've still been able to see Chelsea every single day. And it has been amazing, pure bliss. Well, as much bliss as I can get when we're separated by an entire wall and can't touch other than with our hands. But I will take what I can get. It's better than the first seven week of agony that I'd had.

I'm in the kitchen again. Most people would think that's weird, but there were no animals around here and I actually wasn't completely awful at cooking/baking, so that's what I passed my time with.

I was actually backing some brownies that Chelsea and I could eat tomorrow morning. I'd spent the entire day experimenting with the recipe, adjusting amounts, changing ingredients, everything just to make it perfect. And I was writing down the entire thing, with _many_ detailed steps so that Chelsea could learn to cook something without burning it to a crisp. It was one of the things on my to-do list once I got out of here. That and teaching her how to swim.

I wipe a glimmer of sweat off of my brow before I place a tray of the finished brownies into the oven. Then I begin to clean up Tianna's kitchen and put away all the unused ingredients. I shove the recipe into my pocket so I wouldn't forget it.

Then I hear the door slam shut, followed by mild mutterings. They become louder as the source walks into the kitchen. Tianna stops when she smells the chocolaty smell from my cooking brownies.

I only spare her a glance as I go about cleaning up. "You find Witchkin?"

"No…she's not on the island." She takes in a deep breath. "Did you make brownies?"

"Yes I did." My brow creases as I think while scrubbing down a pot. "I wonder where Witchkin could have gone to."

Tianna plops down on a chair. "I don't know, but I checked the entire island and she's nowhere to be found!"

"Ugh…" I look to her to see Tianna with her face in her hands, messing up her hair as she drove her fingers deep into the tangled mess of blonde hair and then pulling them out. Her eyes looked slightly bloodshot, and her face was more pale than usual.

I frown slightly as I continue to scrub at the pot. A few minutes pass while I wash a few of the dishes and neither of us speaks up.

Suddenly an idea springs into my mind. "Maybe she went back to go visit her parents. She has been her for almost a full season. Maybe she misses them."

Tianna runs her hand through her hair again. "If it means I don't have to loose sleep over worrying where she is, then I'll agree with you." She rises from her spot on the chair and cracks her back. "I'm going to go call her parents. Ask if she's there."

Tianna gives me a funny look before she leaves. I catch it, but pointedly choose to ignore it.

In the time that she disappears I manage to wash all the pots and pans, and dry them all. I've even been able to put them all away, put away all the ingredients and wash the top of the counter.

I'm placing the finished brownies on a plate when Witch Princess walks back into the room. She appears shocked by how clean everything was. Okay, maybe I was a little obsessed, but that's not really a bad thing is it? Well, it's either that…or I'm just _really, really_ bored.

"Brownie?" I offer her out of generosity. I'd made sure to make extra just in case something like this happened and I couldn't hide the brownies from her. But there would plenty left for later.

"Thanks." She smiles and takes one. Carefully, she bites into and groans. "This is good." She mumbles out white closing her eyes to savor every morsel. I could have laughed; she almost looked human in that moment.

"You're welcome Tianna." I smile slightly and shake my head and I take the brownies back to the kitchen to wrap them up and save them for later.

As I walk out of the kitchen, she's standing there and she grabs my arm as I pass by. "Vaughn?"

"Wh-ahh!" I've turned to see what she wants, but when I do her lips are on mine.

My eyes widen as big as saucers and I roughly push her off of me. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Kissing you." She sounds confused while she says it, though I have no idea why she was.

"I _realize_ that." My eyes are still wide open as I cautiously place a chair between her and me. "I want to know _why._"

She laughs suddenly. "Are you okay? You were sending me signals."

"_What_ signals?" I wasn't sending signals of _any kind_ to the Witch!

"Well, you're happier around me. And you're always cooking for me now. You're concerned about my family, and you made me brownies today." Her brow creases. "I thought you were being subtle."

"Real subtle." I yelp out, even as I bite with a sarcastic remark. "Cause I ain't sending you any signals!"

"Then what was all that for?" She cries out, clearly upset.

"All what?"

"Everything I just said!"

I groan out loud. "God Tianna, I've told you before; I'm happy because I'm halfway done with my time before I can see _Chelsea_ again. My _wife_."

"What about the other stuff?" She still seems confused.

"I'm cooking for you guys, because no offense, but your cooking tastes like crap!" She doesn't even flinch at that one; she must know that's true. "I'm concerned about Witchkin because she's _nine_ and shouldn't be out by herself! And I made brownies because I was bored!"

"Why are you being so nice?" Her tone isn't as harsh, but I can see the anger and sadness swimming in her eyes.

"It's called being a gentleman." I roll my eyes. "I'm being polite to my hostess." I pause. "Who shouldn't be jumping me either!"

"Well I'm sorry!" She yells at me. "I made a mistake, so kill me!"

She storms out of the room and I hear her crash down on her bed. I'm about to go crash on my own bed when I hear sobbing coming from the room. I let out a sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. So instead I settle down on the hard chair at the table and lay my head down.

Mental note to self: Get Chelsea to fix Tianna up with someone.


	5. Weeks 10 through 12

**A/N: There you all go! I'm sorry this took a while to post. But while I was in the middle of writing this my dad found out that I'm flunking history; so I've only been able to type in secret cause I'm not supposed to use the computer. But I just couldn't stay away! And I'm not failing anymore, so we're all good! :D And I have a week break from school so hopefully I can get more updates in! I know you're all anxious to leave the Witch Princess. But don't judge her too harshly. You'll see why. ;)**

**As always, I do not own Harvest Moon. If I did...well...lets just say that I wouldn't have to be writing these stories. So I guess it's a GOOD thing I don't own it eh? :P Enjoy the chapter!

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**Week 10: Help**

"Aw Vaughn, these brownies are delicious!"

"I'm glad you like them dear."

_Tell her!_

_ No! Don't tell her! She'll throw a fit!_

_ She's your wife! She deserves to know!_

_ But she'll kill the Witch Princess!_

Angrily I shake my head at the voices arguing inside my head. Do you see what being cooped up for too long does to me? Huh? I'm talking to myself! In my own head! That's not normal!

"Seriously, you need to teach me this recipe." Chelsea closes her eyes as she chews on the delicate chocolate goodness that I had made for her.

I smirk slightly and take out a piece of paper out of my pocket. "That's why I wrote you a step by step list on how to make them."

She gasps softly, stifling the sound with her hand, as I pass her the folded up sheet of paper through the little hole we were conversing through.

Chelsea takes the paper from me, her delicate fingers brushing mine and sending a shock through my whole body; reminding me of when we first met.

_Tell her what happened!_

_ No, she'll go crazy!_

"Thank you so much Vaughn. I love it." The smile on her face would have made me weak at the knees, but I was lying down on my stomach.

"You're welcome love." I swiftly grab her hand and kiss it gently. It was the least I could do through the small hole. I wanted to feel her lips so bad, but because of the Witch Princess I can't.

She giggles lightly, reminding me of the love-struck girl she'd acted like on our honeymoon. It was so different from the tough bucket of bolts she normally was; it astounded me. But I loved it all the more because it was a softer side of her that I didn't get to see often.

_Now's your chance! Come on, you have to tell her!_

_ No! It's not a good idea! You don't know what this will do to her!_

_ It's not like he cheated on her or anything! _She_ kissed _him_!_

_ Still…_

"Listen, Chelsea." I shake my head and speak softly, trying to think of a delicate way to broach the subject.

"What?" Chelsea's big blue eyes look up at me, wide with trust.

_Don't choke now!_

_ No…that might be good! Choke!_

I swallow hard. I was going to end up murdering someone if I didn't get these voices out of my head. Maybe Witchkin would do….oh yeah. That's right. She's not _here._

"I need you to do something for me."

She smiles. "You don't have to ask me. What do you want?"

I take in another deep breath. "I need to get Witch Princess a date."

"A date." Her expression is completely dumbfounded. "For Witch Princess?" Evidently she can tell how serious I am, because the next second she asks, "Why?"

_Quick! Think of a lie!_

_ No! He has to tell her the truth!_

"Because she kissed me last week." Immediately I shut my eyes, fearful of what she would do.

…

…..

….

…

…..

Nothing happens. I can't even hear anything. Cautiously, I open one of my eyes just a slit and then open them both all the way.

Chelsea was just sitting there. Munching on a brownie. Staring at me.

"Chelsea?"

"She kissed you?" She takes another bite of a brownie, looking at me with an arched eyebrow; her voice as deadly as ice.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Cause she thought I had a crush on her."

"Why?"

"Cause I was being nicer towards her."

"Why?"

"Cause I wasn't in such a bad mood."

"Why?"

"Cause I got to see my _wife_ again."

A soft blush graces her cheeks and she takes another bite to hide it. I simply smirk at her outright adorableness.

_You're a sap._

_ You're being honest._

"You don't like her?" Her eyes narrow slightly, as if she was afraid that anyone could replace the love she gave to me or the fire that she lit in my heart.

I shake my head. "I love you Chelsea. I pushed her away the second I realized what she was doing. And I told her straight."

"Then why do you want me to find her a date?" She swallows the rest of the brownies and pockets the recipe; all worry and concern obliterated.

I wince slightly. "Cause she ran away crying."

Chelsea grimaces along with me. "Okay then. I'll try to find her a date."

"Thanks. I really appreciate it."

She lets out a light laugh. "At least you're only in here for another six weeks. Then, you're mine again."

"I'm always yours Chelsea."

Chelsea covers her face with her hand. "You know what I meant."

"I know." I reach through the hole to grab her hand and pull it gently away from her face. "It's just fun to tease you love."

She smiles, but it disappears when she hears a noise from the other room. "I'd better go. They'll be waking up soon."

"I'll see you tomorrow Chelsea."

"That you will." She lets out another broad grin. "I love you Vaughn."

"I love you too Chelsea."

Chelsea leaves the vicinity and I turn over onto my back to rest for a moment. I fold my hands behind my head and smirk to myself.

_Ha! I win._

_ …shut up.

* * *

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**Week 11: Headache**

Awkwardness is simply lovely isn't it?

That absolutely wonderful feeling just hangs there in the air. Obscuring everything else. Just. Hangs there.

Fucking annoying stuff if you ask me.

"Listen Witch…"

"I'm not talking to you Cowboy."

I sit there for a moment while she continues conjuring up some potion of sorts. I feel like I'm on some TV show, where I'm the character who sees things the way they are; and then looks at the camera with an annoyed look.

"Have we really resorted to name calling again?"

"I don't know. Have we cowboy?"

Another pissed of look at the "camera". Was she really going to be this difficult? Not that I really cared what she called me, I just didn't want to live in this house for another five weeks with ice cold silence between me and my hostess.

"Tianna, I'm _married._ Get it through your head. I. Don't. Like. You."

_Wow, you're real nice._

Pissed off look at myself. Really? Those voices are still here? God, I can't wait to get out of this house! Maybe Witchkin put them in my head before she left…

"I don't care cowboy." Her voice is tight though, and her motions with her stirring stick become harsh as the potion she's making slops over the edge.

"Obviously you do." I mutter under my breath, but it doesn't escape her notice.

"Well I don't cowboy!" She spins on her heels to glare at me full force, but it doesn't faze me anymore. "Get _that_ through your head!"

_Oooh, she tossed your own words back at you._

_ It's a good thing he told Chelsea. And you were against it from the start!_

_ No I wasn't! I was being cautious! _

_ Sure you were. Sure you were._

_ I was!_

_ Whatever helps you sleep at night._

If Witch Princess wasn't there, I probably would have strangled myself. Okay…not really. But those voices were starting to give me a headache. How people could stand constant talking all day long was beyond me.

I let out a sigh and stand up to go search for some Advil as I pray to god that my disease wasn't coming back with hallucinations or something. Next thing you know I'd be waking up to seeing the Bloody Mary at the foot of my bed. Wouldn't that just be amazing?

I wander into the kitchen, my body automatically knowing where to search even if my head was somewhere else. For a moment, I watch myself like I'm watching a movie.

_ The lone cowboy, trapped for eleven weeks, slowly starts to go out of his mind even if he doesn't realize it. Slowly he reaches for the cabinet, searching for the Advil he knows will save him. But no! Don't open the door! It's a trap!  
_

"Ugh." I mutter under my breath as my mind comes back down to earth and I close the door of an empty cabinet. I really needed to stop watching so many horror movies.

I pull open another drawer, and thankfully I find Advil in that one. Quickly, I rip the top off and pop two into my mouth and swallow. It'll take a few minutes for it to kick in full notch, but it was already making me feel better.

Warily, I glance out of the kitchen to look at Tianna. Let's just say that if was really possible for steam to come out of someone's ears, she would look like that. So I stay in the kitchen.

Wearily, I plop myself down on one of the stools and lean my head against the hard tile surface of the counter. Seeing Witch Princess this upset got me to wondering…

What on earth had happened to her for her to be this upset over a guy? Or had see just never been rejected before? Being the Witch Princess and all.

I surely didn't know. And for God's sake I just hope she doesn't pull a stunt like that one again.

* * *

**Week 12: Love Story**

"Vaughn?"

"Oh so you're finally going to use my name now?"

"Stop being a brat cowboy. I want to talk to you."

_Well that changes things._

I let out a gentle sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. If Witchkin ever came back here, I was going to have to grill her to get these voices out of my head. Seriously, try having someone just jabbing in your ear all day to fill the silence. Not. Fun.

"You're free to sit down." I motion towards the chair that was set up next to my bed, where I was lying down.

To my astonishment, she actually takes the seat without a word. Gently she pushes her blonde hair behind her ear and then chews on her bottom lip.

_She's nervous._

That draws my attention even more. What on earth could she be nervous about? As far as I knew, there was nothing she ever got nervous about. Embarrassed, yes. Nervous, nope.

"What do you want to talk about?" I stay lying down, I didn't want to show her how truly interested in this I was. But then again, I _have_ been here for twelve weeks. Just about _anything_ is interesting now.

"I want to talk about…"She takes in a deep breath. "About why I was so upset the other day."

I nod slowly, not bothering to say why she had been upset. She had started and I didn't want her to stop talking.

"It's just…it's been a long time since I got rejected like that." She looks down at her hands to avoid my gaze.

_Well he's married bitch!_

_ Shush! Let the girl talk!_

"What happened last time?" I attempt to make my voice sound soft and comforting, and by the way she sighs I can tell that it worked.

"Last time." She raises her eyes and looks off into the distance. The way her eyes are probing the darkness of the house makes me wonder if she was seeing something that wasn't truly there.

"Last time was over thousands of years ago." Her head shakes slightly and her eyelids droop. "It was when The Harvest Goddess and I first began to hate each other."

_Holy crap. Maybe you should ask her to stop. _

_ NO! You asked for this! Now he needs to listen to it all!_

"We used to be best friends; The Harvest Goddess and I. Before either of us became immortal. We'd play the stupidest pranks and make the best items together."

She pauses and a slight smile graces her lips; like she was remembering all the good times she used to have. Which to be fair, she probably was.

Suddenly her face darkens. "But it didn't last. After we became of age, these new people came to the village we lived in. They were nomads."

"Anyway, there was this one girl." Her lips curl up into a small smile. "She was beautiful. She had this pasty complexion from living out in the sun so much. Her lips were these straight little lines and her big dark eyes would draw in anyone. She always dressed in the bright yellow and she had the most beautiful voice. It was soft and warm, like silk."

Witch Princess looks off into the distance again. I raise my eyebrow slightly. Okay…what ever I had been expecting it wasn't this.

She turns her eyes back on me. "I became friends with this girl. She was always so nice to me."

Her eyes darken again. "But Rose didn't like that."

_So the Harvest Goddess's name used to be Rose?_

_ I guess you do learn something new every day._

"What did Rose do?" I ask her gently, not wanting to stir her too much from her story.

Thankfully she's not disturbed. She just keeps looking off into the distance. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that she completely forgot I was even there.

"Rose got jealous of her. She thought that I was spending too much time with her and that I was replacing her as my best friend."

Tianna shakes her head slightly. "She had it all wrong. I wasn't replacing Rose. I was falling in love."

_Well would you look at that._

_ I never would have believed it if I hadn't heard it with my own ears._

_ Witch Princess actually knew about love._

_ She's a lesbian!_

_ Shut up! Love is beautiful, no matter what form it's in!_

_ But you have to admit…it's kinda weird._

_ No it's not. You just can't understand the beauty of it._

_ You're sick._

_ And you aren't?_

Thankfully, Tianna interrupts the argument going on in my head at that moment. "Rose got to her. She told her that I was using her, that I hated her."

_What IS this girl's name even?_

_ Shut up!_

"She got so upset. But she ran to me to confirm it. She should've just run away. She should have left."

Tianna's face looks so heartbroken; that even the voices in my head shut up. What on earth happened?

"Rose followed her though. And when she found her crying in my arms…Rose lost it." Her eyes start to fill up with tears. "Rose had been seeing the local witch doctor behind my back. She learned all about magic and how to use it."

Tianna takes in a deep breath to control the liquid threatening to come out of her eyes. "Rose took her voice away. And then she banished her. Sent her to sleep deep under the ground so that I wouldn't ever find her again."

She finally makes eye contact with me. "I lost it. I couldn't believe she would do that to me. That's when I became the Witch Princess."

Tears leak out of her eyes but she doesn't break eye contact with me; though I would imagine that her vision must be swimming. "We dueled. Her with her magic, and me with mine. We would've killed each other then and there; but the Harvest King intervened. He separated us and told us that to make up for the destruction we caused, we would have to become The Harvest Goddess and Witch Princess. The "good" magic and "bad" magic. We've hated each other ever since."

Then she bursts into tears; like the story had taken a lot out of her. She buries her face in her hands and weeps like it was going out of style.

That's when I sit up and pull her into my arms to comfort her while she cried. Hey, I'm not _that_ heartless!

Tianna cries onto my shoulder, and I stroke her hair with my hand; more out of habit. I knew what girls liked when they wanted to be comforted. Okay…that's a lie. I know that Chelsea loves it when I stroke her hair. She's told me that it calms her down. So I'm hoping that works here.

_Well…I wasn't expecting that._

_ I don't think _**anyone **_expected that._

Gently I stroke her hair, when I hear her hiccup the words, "Thank you." She sniffles again and whispers, "For listening."

"You're welcome." I whisper back as her breathing begins to level out.

"I miss her." Her whole body shakes again and then she begins sobbing once again. As I continue stroking her hair, it suddenly strikes me: Maybe Tianna really did know what I was feeling. Because she felt the same way about her girl.

* * *

**A/N: I TOLD you not to judge her too harshly! :D Okay, now please review and don't forget to look on my page for the poll about True Lies! I need all of your help in deciding what the next chapter will be about! (cause i suck and have an awful case of writers' block for that story) Thanks everyone and don't forget that I love you all! ;)  
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	6. Weeks 13 through 15

**A/N: Yes, I have updated! It's a miracle! My first semester of grade 10 is over so I had ZERO homework to do! But I would like to put out a HUGE thank-you to MidnightVampyre who kicked my butt on deviantART to write another chapter for this story. It actually gave me some inspiration. So, for the future, ya'll feel free to kick my ass if I need to get an update up! But I think you'll all really like this chapter, even if it is a little short. As always, please review!**

**And also as always, I do not own Harvest Moon or any of its associated characters. I just enjoy messing around with their sanity. ;)

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**Week 13: Keria**

I had a ball. I discovered it hiding underneath my bed a few days ago. You have no idea how entertaining something like that can become when you have nothing better to do. I've probably already spent a good twelve hours tossing this thing up and down on my bed already.

But that's not the weird thing about today. No, not even close. Tianna was also sitting on her bed; and she was knitting. Knitting! Can you believe that? I think Chelsea's grandmother does that!

At least she seemed calm and didn't want to cut my head off in my sleep. Or something just as important. It was just unnerving to see her do anything besides practicing her magic.

"She used to knit all the time." Tianna speaks up suddenly as if she knew what I was thinking. She never takes her eyes off of her work.

I don't say anything; I'm not sure what I' supposed to say! I'm no freaking psychiatrist! Hell, I don't think any psychiatrist would know what to do! Tianna is a woman thousands of years old, who has been mourning the loss of her first love and best friend the entire time! That's bound to leave some emotional scars behind.

But I don't have to say anything, she keeps talking. "Her tapestries were some of the most beautiful I'd ever seen."

I glanced over at her, still managing to toss my ball in the air and catch it because of the extreme coordination I'd gained. Her eyes seemed to be a little out of focus, and her hand had ceased weaving the thread. I knew she was getting lost in her memories again. It seemed to help her to tell someone.

Though I hated to admit it, I actually thought of Tianna as a friend now. Nothing more mind you! But a friend. Which was odd because of, well, who I am. But I think once Tianna let me leave, I might come back and visit with Chelsea every now and then.

Tianna snorts suddenly and holds up whatever she was knitting. "She was always much better at it then I was. She tried giving me a few pointers, but it never really worked."

I still really want to know what this girl's name was, but I'm a little frightened of what Tianna might do to me if I ask her. I wanted to still be in one piece once the next four weeks are up.

"You really loved her didn't you?" I ask her quietly, the words slipping out of my mouth.

But she just looks at me and smiles, nodding her head. "Yeah, I really did." Tianna gazes off into the distance again. "Everyday I wake up, and think to myself 'I'd give anything just to see her again. Just one more day.'"

Wow. It's weird, that's exactly how I felt about Chelsea before that hole was made in the wall. It's how I still feel. I just wanted to hold her in my arms and kiss her breathless. Tianna reminded me of myself. Maybe that's why I thought of her as my friend.

She goes back to knitting and I think to myself again. Tianna really was like me. We were both really solitary people. She only wanted to be with her magic, and I only wanted to be alone with some animals.

But that was all changed when we fell in love. I fell in love with Chelsea, and look what happened to me. But Tianna…love shouldn't have to be sad. I learned that one the hard way. I honestly hoped that she would get better; like I had. But I had a feeling that would only happen if she was reunited with her girl again.

Look at me, I'm thinking all philosophical in my head. At least those pesky voices disappeared. I couldn't wait to get back to Chelsea.

"Vaughn?"

I glance over at Tianna, who's looking straight at me. "Yes?"

"Her name…her name was Keria."

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**Week 14**

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Nothing to report.

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**Week 15: Unexpected Visit**

I'm in the kitchen making supper for Tianna again. She let me have full reign of the kitchen, and it was something to do with my time. I could hardly believe it! Only one more week left! I was so excited I kept spilling ingredients all over the counter top.

I decided to make steak and asparagus tonight. This involved making gravy; because you can't have steak without gravy! That's just sacrilege. I was also wrapping the steak in bacon, and then wrapping it. It was a recipe I'd learned from my dad; I couldn't wait to show it to him! Maybe I'd even made it better than he had!

I'd just put the steak in the oven because Tianna didn't have a proper barbecue (something that frustrated me to no ends), when someone knocks on the door.

"Tianna!" I yell at her, knowing she can hear me from her potions room. "Someone's at the door!" My hands were full with the food.

I hear her grumbling as she headed over to the door, and just as I finally begin to wonder who would be knocking at the door, I hear a scream.

I drop the bowl of asparagus I'd had in my hands. The glass shatters all over the ground and the green veggies go flying all over the floor. I grab the closest thing next to me, a large butcher's knife, as I run towards the front door.

What I see is not what I expected. At all.

The first thing that catches my attention was Tianna; and that she was crying. Well, sobbing was more like it. And her arms were wrapped around someone, someone with long dark hair and a yellow dress on.

As my mouth drops open, I catch sight of Chelsea standing in the doorway; her mouth as low as mine was.

The knife slips out of my hand and clatters to the floor; and Chelsea's eyes snap over to me. I swear I felt my heart melt into the soles of my shoes in that moment. The look in her eyes of complete love and absolute devotion; I couldn't help myself.

I ran to her. I ran to her and picked her up and spun her around in my arms. And then I kissed her. I folded my lips over those perfect little lips of her. Just kissed her and tasted the sweet strawberry scent on her lips until I could feel the tears running down my face mixing with hers.

I slowed our kiss down from the raging hot kiss to a slow sensual kiss that spoke my words louder than I ever could. Then I release her lips, and open my eyes to her blue orbs shining with tears.

"I missed you." She whispers softly, tapping her forehead against mine as I held her close to me, her legs wrapped around my waist.

"I missed you too." I whisper back, kissing her sensually again.

After a few more minutes of the most amazing kisses ever with my wife, I have to put her down and turn my attention to Tianna. But I keep my arm wrapped around Chelsea's waist.

She's still crying. But it was one of the sweetest pictures ever. Her head was on Keria's shoulder and they had their arms wrapped around each other. Keria was placing soft kisses all over Tianna's face.

"How did you find Keria?" I softly ask my wife as I lean my head on hers; even though she's so much shorter that I was.

"That's her name?" Chelsea was staring at the two, like she couldn't believe what was going on. "My cousin came over to invite me to her wedding and brought her along."

She turns to me. "Jill said that she found her living on the bottom floor of a mine with no ability to speak. But after they became friends, she began to show Jill tapestries with a picture of Witch Princess on it. Jill didn't know who that was, so she thought to ask me. And she brought Keria with her."

She pauses, as if realizing how ludicrous this story sounds. "And here we are."

I let out a whistle. "That's amazing."

We just stand there in silence, leaning on each other for support as we watch the two girls cry and hold each other.

After a while, Tianna wipes her eyes and smile widely at Chelsea. "Thank you." Her voice is hoarse and her eyes are red, but the genuine thanks on her face was irreplaceable. "Thank you so much."

Her eyes light up and then she grabs Chelsea's hand, and begins to drag her and Keria back to her magic area. I follow along.

When we all arrive, Tianna begins to search frantically along her bottles of potions, glancing over at Keria every few seconds; as if afraid she would disappear.

Finally she grabs two different potions. One, she hands to Chelsea; and the other she ever so gently gives to Keria.

"I've been working on this potion for thousands of years." Tianna whispers to Keria. "I hope it works."

So that's why Tianna was always working on her magic potion! She was trying to find a way to reverse the Harvest Goddess's magic!

Chelsea's looking hesitantly at her bottle. She looks up at Tianna, about to say something, but stops when she sees them.

I watch with her, and Tianna helps Keria drink the potion. Once it's all gone, I have to rub my eyes. I swear I had just seen invisible chains drop from around her neck. But it must be my mind playing trick on me…right?

"Ti…" I barely hear her voice, it's so quiet. She opens her mouth to try again. "Tianna."

Tianna's eyes water up and she laughs out loud, tears streaming down her face as she kisses Keria tenderly on the lips, her facial expression softening. When they broke apart, I thought Tianna looked years younger.

"I…love…you." Keria whispers to Tianna softly, making Tianna choke on her sobs. "I love you too Keria."

It was probably the single most beautiful moment in my life. Seeing these two women reunited with each other. Hastily, I wipe away a tear from my eye.

Holding Keria close to her, Tianna looks back to Chelsea. "Drink it."

Chelsea looks doubtfully at the bottle again. "Last time I drank one of these bottles I became infertile."

"Just drink it." Tianna prompts again.

With everyone looking at her, Chelsea has no choice and swallows the vile looking green liquid down. But nothing happens.

"What has that for?" Chelsea demands of Tianna.

But Tianna just winks. "You'll see."

"So, what now?" I asked suddenly, not sure of what was going to happen.

"Well, I can't very well keep you away from your love anymore now that I have mine can I?" Tianna smiles at me, holding Keria closer to her.

The grin on my face was probably even larger than when Chelsea said that she'd marry me. I walk forward and hug Tianna tightly. "Thank you."

When I back up, and tightly grip Chelsea's hand, I hear Keria speak. "Thank…you…Chelsea." The dark haired girl smiles at my wife. "Thank…Jill…for me."

"I will." Chelsea smiles and tears leak out of her eyes as she leads me out of the house.

The crisp spring night air hits me instantly, and I breathe it in slowly; making the moment last as I gaze at the stars above.

Then I look down at my wife, and couldn't have imagined anyone more beautiful. I squeeze her hand as she leads me back to our house.

"I love you Chelsea." I whisper to her, which makes her smile. I've said it before, but I would do anything to keep that smile on her face.

"I love you too Vaughn." She gives me a sneaky smirk. "And I've missed you far too much."

I can't help but give her that same sneaky grin back; it was like her love was an infectious disease I never wanted to recover from. "I'm ever so sorry dear. How can I ever make it up to you?"

She winks at me as we enter _our_ farm. "I have an idea."

The smile on my face doesn't leave even as I close the door of our house behind us.


	7. Forget Me Not Valley

**A/N: I've updated! It's only been...a week? Two? But still! Here it is! I'm hoping this story will move along faster now, and I'm hoping that you'll all still love the updates! Any ideas are appreciated, because you never know what will happen in life! ;) Any random ideas could become a scene! Hahaha, but seriously, thanks for sticking around so long. You all have no idea how appreciative I am of all of you. 3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon. I just enjoy messing around with their lives. I wish I owned Vaughn though...*sighs*

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**Forget-Me-Not Valley**

I roll over in bed, my eyes still shut, when my fingers brush against skin. My lips widen in a smile before I've even opened my eyes. My heart jumps a little in my chest, and I feel warmth spread throughout my bones. I was home.

"Good morning Chelsea." I whisper softly into her ear as I wrap my arms around her waist. God, it was so good to have her again.

She lets out an airy laugh. "It's so good to have you back here Vaughn." Chelsea turns around in my arms and looks up at me with those amazingly bright blue eyes of hers. "I missed you."

I lean down and press my lips against hers; feeling her respond with that sugar coated sweetness made me fall in love with her all over again. It was so hard to believe that this spunky rancher had ever managed to conquer me so easily.

"I missed you too baby." I whisper as I break our kiss and run a finger along her jawbone. Her soft skin was such a great treasure.

Chelsea giggles and wraps her arms around my neck. "I could tell."

I raise an eyebrow at her playfully. "Oh could you now?"

"I can tell now." She giggles again and quickly hops out of bed, leaving me to groan in frustration at the loss of contact as she gets dressed.

"Why can't we stay in bed today?" I groan at her as I try and cool myself down.

She glances over at me, her gaze holding mine, and I can nearly see the conflict in her mind. I wink seductively at her, which makes her giggle and a smile lights up her face. God, it was amazing to see that smile again.

"Because my cousin wants us to come to her wedding." Chelsea smiles and pulls a shirt over her head, and then walks over to me.

As she squats down to look in my face, I groan and make a half sneer with my lips. "Why is it whenever I have a horrible experience, I _have_ to go to a wedding afterwards?"

She raises an eyebrow at me. "Are you saying coming back from a coma to marry me was a bad thing?"

Wince. Oh yeah, I forgot about that.

I lean forward and kiss her softly on the lips. "I take it all back." I open my eyes and gently brush her skin with my thumb. "Marrying you was the best thing I've ever done in my life."

I'm so whipped.

But Chelsea blushes and her lips break out in that huge smile that I love so much. And I don't care about anything else; as long as I can keep that smile on her face.

"I'd love to go to your cousin's wedding." I grin and sit upright in bed, picking my clothes up off the floor where I left them the night before.

My wife sits on the bed beside me, watching me dress. I could feel her hungry eyes on me, and I knew she was drinking in my image as much as I was hers. Neither of us could really believe that we were actually together now; that nothing was going to drag us apart again.

"So who's the lucky man?" I ask her casually as I finish dressing, placing my Stenson on my head as the finale.

Chelsea bites her bottom lip as she thinks; something that makes me want to stay at home all day even more. "I think she said his name was Rock."

"Rock?" I look over at Chelsea. "Who names their kid Rock?"

She shrugs and I roll my eyes. "I would never name my kid that."

My eyes gravitate to Chelsea's, the subject of a child still a little tender. Her face flushes when my eyes connect with hers.

"What would you name your kid Vaughn?" Her words are a mere whisper, and I pull her close to me, guiding her so that she sat on my lap.

"I would name him James." I whisper softly in her ear as my arms encircle her waist. "I've heard that it's a very good name."

"It's my favourite name." Chelsea whispers back, her eyes looking up at me with love; because she was remembering the first time she told me that; almost three years ago. And I still remembered.

"Do you think…think…?" Chelsea leaves the question open, but I know what she's talking about.

"I do." I kiss her ever so softly. "I do."

I look her in the eyes, my heart hammering in my throat as I grab her chin with my fingers. "Do you still want to have a kid?"

Her head slowly moves up and down. "As long as it's with you."

I kiss her again, pulling her closer to me. My lips trail across her jaw and down to her throat. "Then why don't we stay here and try?"

Chelsea laughs, and the spell is broken. But I don't mind, she's still smiling. "Gosh, you men! Only one thing ever on your minds!"

"The only thing on my mind is you Chelsea. And I'd hate to have to share that thought with any other man."

She blushes. A full on, deep dark blush. She made it looks just so adorable. "Come on you tricky cowboy. We've got the rest of our lives."

* * *

I hold Chelsea's small hand in mine as we walk down the path of the Island. It was amazing how much this place had changed; I'd already been to every single house here again. It was like two years ago all over again. Everyone had grown so much. Little Calvin and Ashlyn were even starting to be home schooled now!

"So where's Jill?" I ask Chelsea, curious because I hadn't seen her yet today.

"She's meeting us on the dock. The boat will be here in about ten minutes."

The sun feels warm on my face. It's so different from the stuffy room of Tianna's house. The breeze is so stimulating and calming; and the noises that were everywhere seemed to just attach my senses. I love being outside.

I squeeze her hand. "I love you Chelsea."

She squeezes my hand back. "I love you too Vaughn."

We reach the beach, the sound of crashing waves the first thing that I hear. It brings back memories of waiting here for the boat to take me back to the city. But my favourite memory of the beach was when Chelsea first said that she loved me.

I smile and squeeze her hand, pointing to a spot just a little ways away from the dock. "Remember when you almost drowned?"

She laughs and shakes her head. "You jumped in to save me."

"I wouldn't have had to if you didn't jump off Will's boat."

"I wouldn't have had to jump if you hadn't broken up with me."

"Hey that wasn't my fault!" I bump her hip. "You know that."

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, blame it on your disease."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Are you questioning me my love?"

"Oooh, I'm so frightened." Chelsea rolls her eyes and grabs my hat off of my head. "Bet you can't catch me!" Then she takes off with my hat like she's down a million times before.

"Bet I can!" I call out after her, going at a full sprint.

I catch her at the dock, nearly tackling her to the ground. We're both breathing fast as I laugh and take my hat from her, placing it on my head.

My hands are still around her, and she begins to squirm. "Oh no, you're not getting away from me that easy my love."

"Oh no!" I can hear the sarcasm dripping from her words as she looks up at me playfully. "Whatever will I do?"

"You'll kiss me." I whisper softly, bring my head down to hers.

Her hands wrap around my neck. "Mmm, I think I will."

Her lips barely have time to press against mine before I hear a huge "AWWWWWW!"

I grumble in annoyance as I pick Chelsea up off the dock so that we can look at her cousin.

Jill has long brown hair held up in a pony tail, and startling amethyst eyes. That takes me back for a moment; was Chelsea sure she wasn't _my_ cousin I never knew about? But no, she couldn't be my cousin.

She wore simple jeans and a plain orange t-shirt, with a rucksack over her shoulder, like the one Chelsea also had. And her smile was as wide as Chelsea's as she looked at us.

"You two are adorable!" Jill smiles at us, and I could almost swear there was a sad tinge in it. But the next second it's gone. "You guys must really love each other."

I look down at Chelsea, knowing wit every beat of my heart that Jill's words were true. I lean down and steal that kiss from her that Jill had taken from me with her interrupting.

Chelsea giggles and I break off, tightly enclosing her hand within mine as we face Jill again.

"So I hear that someone is getting married." I remark, throwing it out. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"His name is Rock." Ugh, that was really that kid's name? What's wrong with his parents?

"Well, I'm sure he's a fine young man if you're marrying him Pony." Chelsea lets go of my hand and wraps her arms around her cousin.

I mouth the word 'Pony' to Jill, who rolls her eyes over Chelsea's shoulder. Must be a nickname Chelsea had for her cousin.

"So where are we going?" I ask politely as Chelsea gravitates back towards me.

"Forget-Me-Not Valley." Jill's eyes seem to light up at the mention of the town. Maybe it was just me, but something about being around Tianna all the time made me more sensitive. I'd have to ask Jill about it. Maybe it's all in my head.

The boat arrives, and Chelsea drags me on board. Jill tells us that it'll be a fair few hours until we arrive, and then Chelsea drags me below deck. Officially she says she wants to check out the room. I'll humor her.

* * *

We arrive at Forget-Me-Not Valley, and I'm instantly astounded by how much the village seems similar to our island.

There was a beach where the boat docked, and a guy named Kai lived there in the summer time. Apparently he's supposed to look a lot like Denny; but this Kai guy is a bachelor. Makes me feel sorry for the guy.

There was plenty of nature in this town too. Lots of trees and grass and hills and flowers. It was actually very calming.

The people were all very nice too. Chelsea and I were introduced to the town's old couple, Galen and Nina; who were both very sweet. We met Flora and Carter, the archeologists that lived at the mine. We met Celia, Marlin and Vesta, who took care of a prosperous farm. We were introduced to Cody, and artist, and Daryll, who came off as a crazy scientist. We met the firework twins Patrick and Kassey. We met the rich Romana, her grand-daughter and their butler. We met Wally, and Grant and Hugh and Hardy and Chris and Murry and Takakura. My head started spinning.

"Do we have to meet any more people?" I grumble as we say goodbye to Nami and some hippie whose name I'd already forgotten. "My head hurts."

"Aw poor baby." Chelsea stands on her toes to kiss my forehead under my hat. "Any better?"

I let a small smile twist my lips upward. "Much actually." I grip her hand tighter in mine and she giggles.

"It's okay Vaughn," Jill reassures me. "We only have my fiancé and his family left."

My lips twist back downwards at the lack of emotion in her voice. I still hadn't gotten a chance to talk to her alone yet; I had a feeling that would be important.

We walk into an inn, and I see a middle-aged woman at the counter. She looks up and her face breaks out in a smile. "Oh Jill dear you're back!"

The dark haired lady walks over and hugs Jill tightly, her yellow shirt mirroring her sunny disposition.

"Hi Ruby, it's nice to see you again too." Jill turns towards us. "This is my cousin Chelsea and her husband Vaughn. Guys, this is Rock's mother."

My heart flutters in my chest again, even though that's how Jill has introduced us to everyone here. I shake Ruby's hand, and smile slightly at her.

Ruby gives me a huge smile and wraps me into a motherly hug that she promptly gives Chelsea right away afterwards. "I've heard so much about you two! Jill has nothing but good things to say."

I raise my eyebrow and look slyly at Chelsea, who blushes instantly under my gaze and confirms that she talked to Jill about me. Which makes my heart thud. We've been married for two years and I still get butterflies at the thought of her talking about me with other people.

"Where's Rock?" Jill asks, snapping me out of my little daydream. I wanted to know who this kid was. Maybe it was because she's Chelsea's cousin, but I felt very protective of Jill.

Ruby rolls her eyes. "Where do you think?"

"In his room." Jill mutters, rolling her eyes like the answer should've been obvious.

Ruby grimaces and shakes her head. "I honestly don't know why you even want to marry him Jill."

That catches my attention faster than a fish that nibbles at Denny's bait. His own _mother_ doesn't know how he could get married? Maybe that was a mother thing with their boys…but for some reason I don't think so.

"But I'm glad that you did Jill dear." Ruby continues with a smile. "Love is something you just can't understand."

"Yeah, hard to believe isn't it?" Jill mutters as she begins heading upstairs, and I feel my brow crease in confusion. Jill seemed awfully distracted by that…

I glance at Chelsea, who just shrugs and follows her cousin dutifully up the stairs. As much as I want to meet Rock, I hang back to talk with his mother for a moment.

"Hey Ruby?" I start as I walk to the desk with her.

"Yes Vaughn?" She looks up at me as she slides behind the counter.

"Excuse me if I sound odd, but, why would you say that you didn't believe your son could get married?"

Ruby laughs. "My son is just lazy Vaughn. It's not big deal."

My face remains stoic. It still didn't make sense to me. Would my mom have thought the same thing about me? I wasn't ever a lazy child but…is this how all mothers are towards their sons?

Maybe Ruby noticed the puzzlement in my eyes, because her features soften. "I'm sorry about your mother Vaughn. I'm sure she would have loved Chelsea."

I smile slightly. Ever since my dad came back into my life, thinking about mom hadn't hurt as much. "I think she does."

I smile at Ruby again, tip my hat at her, and then wander my way upstairs to go meet Jill's fiancé.

I walk into what must be Rock's room (it's the only room with posters on the outside of the door), to see a blond guy kissing Jill.

I clear my throat, and glare daggers at the blond as he turns to look at me. I could already tell; this guy wasn't good news.

His blond hair was in a surfer kind of style, and his eyes looked like cat's eyes; they must have been contacts, I've seen those at the store before. He had golden bling around his neck, and he wore a blue shirt and vest with baggy pants. This was Rock.

"Vaughn, this is Rock." Jill mutters. "Vaughn is Chelsea's husband."

Rock grins up at me, as I'm about a half foot taller than him, as he offers me his hand. I accept his hand, but my glaring eyes don't disappear. Something about this guy was off.

"Nice to meetcha man!" He grins. "The Rock was just catching up with his babe; sorry you had to see that."

I raise my eyebrows at him. Who did this guy think he was? Talking about his fiancé like that? Chelsea grabs my arm and tightly grips my hand. I feel my shoulder relax visibly, and I grip her hand in return. She could tell I was getting agitated.

"So, when's the wedding?" I can't help but make my voice growl. Chelsea grips my hand again, and I close my eyes as I struggle to calm down.

"Tomorrow." Jill speaks up, her eyes looking straight into mine. But they were empty. Completely devoid of emotion. But why would her eyes look like that? She wasn't even touching Rock anymore.

"Well then we'd better get you ready shouldn't we?" Chelsea speaks up, dragging Jill out of the room along with me. "We'll see you later Rock!"

Chelsea drags all of us back to Jill's farm. Go figure right? You could tell that the two were related. But once we get there, Chelsea lets go of both our arms and turns to Jill.

"Him?" Chelsea's voice is full of the disbelief that I feel. It surprises my for a moment; I'd completely forgotten how well Chelsea could hide her emotions. She was a regular poker player.

"Him has a name." Jill fires back at her cousin.

"Pony you can do so much better than him!" Jill grips her cousin's forearms, and I feel the urge to go back and punch rock in the nose. "Why are you settling down?"

"I love him." Jill sternly tells her cousin, and I take a careful look at her eyes. The way they looked reminded me of something…

Chelsea sighs. "I know you're stubborn Pony, so I won't try and dissuade you. If you really love him, then I guess you're doing all right."

Chelsea smiles and grabs her cousin's hand again. "Come on; let's get you ready for that wedding of yours tomorrow."

Then she slyly turns to me. "Sorry Vaughn, no boys allowed." She waves at me and brings her cousin inside her house.

The door slams behind the two girls, and I begin to slowly stroll out of the farm thinking. Suddenly it hits me. The way Jill's eyes had looked. They reminded me of the way Chelsea's had when she was going out with Will.

* * *

**I just LOVE cliffhanger's, don't you? ;)**


	8. Midnight Exertion

**A/N: Ya'll love me right? ;P Sorry this part is short, but I had to break it off of the next part because it got too long. And thank you SO MUCH for the 7 reviews I got for the last chapter! And under 24 hours too! Ya'll are amazing fans. 3 We're at 60 reviews now too; it really makes my day. So, this is my little way of treating you guys. I hope you like this scene; it's not very fluffy, but it's got some important details in it. Enjoy!

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**Midnight Exertion **

Squeak.

…

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Squeeak.

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Squeeeeeeaaaaak.

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Click.

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Click

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SLAM!

My eyes snap open at the slamming of the door. I'd been awake since the first squeak of the floorboard, but I wanted to ignore it.

I glance behind me to see Chelsea still sound sleep beside me. Her arm was wrapped around my waist and her hair fell gently over her shoulder. Gently I reach over and wipe a little bit of drool from the corner of her mouth, smiling at how adorable she was.

Gently I unwrap her arm from around me and slide out of the makeshift bed Jill made for us in her house. I watch Chelsea as she curls her arms around my pillow and snuggle it close to her. She takes in a deep breath of my scent on the pillow and smiles in her sleep.

My heart beats for this woman. God I love her so much. But she's okay for now.

I glance across the room to where Jill was supposed to be sleeping. An empty bed. Jill must have left the house.

My gaze travels to the clock on the wall, showing me it was a little after eleven at night. Jill hadn't had a bachelorette party, and I was pretty sure there wasn't a bachelor party either.

Where would Jill have gone? I'm pretty sure she hadn't gone to visit Rock; she wouldn't have snuck out for that. And she went out too long ago for me to follow her.

I sigh and rub my eyes. I'd wait until Jill got back. I still needed to talk to her about Rock, and this would provide the perfect time.

Slowly, I walk to Jill's kitchen. Making sure to tread quietly and not wake up Chelsea. I toss on a shirt as well, not wanting Jill to come back and see me only in my boxers.

As quietly as I possibly can, I make a pot of coffee and then sit on a stool with my eyes trained on the door.

An hour later, I hear a lock click and my focus comes back from where I was dozing off. I keep my eyes trained on the door as it opens and a flustered Jill walks in the door.

I take that in for a moment. For the first time, I saw her smiling like crazy, her face flushed and a sparkle in her eyes. When I see that her lips are slightly swollen, I clear my throat.

Thankfully, she doesn't scream. She just jumps and looks at me where I sit in the kitchen with a large pot of coffee and two cups.

I gesture for her to come take a seat beside me, and she softly closes the door. I had a small light set up where I was sitting, and as she steps into the light I see her a bit more clearly.

She really did look flustered. That was really the best way to describe how she looked. When she sits down, I pour coffee into one of the cups and push it towards her. Jill takes the cup, but them promptly looks down at the ground; like she was a puppy about to be hit.

"Jill, may I talk with you?" My voice is soft. I'm trying to show her that I'm not mad with her. I don't even know what she's done!

"Well, you did make me coffee." She smiles at me slightly from under her long lashes. "How long have you been awake?"

"Since you left." I take a sip of the coffee. It wasn't that bad, but it wasn't really my thing to begin with.

She winces as she glances at the clock. "Sorry for depriving you of sleep."

I shrug it off. "I've had more than enough time to sleep the past year. An hour won't kill me."

Jill smiles again, seeming to lighten up a bit. To try and calm her a bit more, I avoid the question of where she went. For now.

"So how are you and Rock?" I raise my eyebrow at her, knowing she wasn't expecting that question.

"We're fine." She answers right away, all emotion seeming to ooze out of her features at the mention of his name. "We're getting married tomorrow."

Mmhmm. "How long did you two date for?"

Now she squirms in her seat. "A few weeks."

I take a sip of my coffee as I look at her. She's lying. I know she is. Don't ask me how; I just do.

"Jill," I look her directly in the eyes. "I'm not judging you. I won't even tell anyone if you don't want me to. I just want to understand."

She takes another sip and doesn't say anything. So I do. "Jill, I'm guessing you know my story from Chelsea. My mom is dead. I've known my dad for a year. I don't know much about how people interact, but I just have this feeling," I pause, looking at her with my head titled ever so slightly. "This feeling deep in my gut, that you don't really love Rock."

Her shoulders heave and a sob escapes her lips. Mentally I slap myself; I wasn't supposed to make her cry! Goodness gracious; men will never understand women!

I stand up and walk beside her to give her a comforting hug. She turns into me and cries on my shoulder. As I stroke her hair, I can't help but thinking to myself; why am I always with crying women? For a stoic cowboy who didn't want anything to do with anybody, I sure was changing my reputation pretty fast.

After a few minutes, she stops crying and I know the shoulder of my shirt is damp, but I just sit back down. I could change it later.

Jill sniffs. "I'm sorry Vaughn, I'm so sorry…"

"Jill, don't apologize to me. You don't have to." I smile at her, trying to make her feel at ease again.

She sniffles again, and nods. "You're right though."

_Ha! I was right!_ I slap that thought away; this was no time to be smug.

"Why are you going to marry him then?" My next question is soft, my curiosity pushed aside for compassion.

She shrugs and looks down at the floor again. "Because I can't marry the man I love."

"Can you tell me who he is?" I'm rather curious about this guy. _This _was who I wanted to know. The guy who caught Jill's heart.

But Jill looks up at me sharply and shakes her head furiously with eyes as big as saucers. "N-no! I can't tell you! Not you!"

Okay, back up Vaughn. Hey, I could be a physiologist! No, focus.

"Okay Jill. You don't have to." I pause for a moment as something hits me. "That's where you went isn't it? You went to go see him?"

She nods, a small smile forming on her lips as she remembers it. I know she's remembering it. I would have.

"Why can't you marry him Jill?"

Jill grimaces. "He's not exactly…looked up to…in this village."

"So you can't marry him because someone else doesn't like him?" I can't help but smile ever so slightly as she nods.

"Let me tell you a story Jill." I grip my coffee and make sure she's listening. "I hate people. I think they're annoying, selfish and stupid."

I pause again to let this sink in, and I see a look of confusion on Jill's face as her nose scrunches up.

"At least I used to." I pause and glance over at my sleeping wife. I can feel my expression visibly soften as I smile at her. "When I first met Chelsea, I was a much colder and meaner person than I am now."

I look back at Jill. "No one in the village really like me for a while. Just Julia and Mirabelle, but they were family."

I look back at Chelsea. "Your cousin changed all that. She was stubborn too. As stubborn as you are. She was determined to be my friend."

I shake my head. "Lord knows why. I was cruel to her every time we talked. But she got through." I snort and shake my head. "Look where it got her."

"Married to a wonderful man?" Jill offers with a smile.

I move to bring my hat over my eyes, but I realize it's not on my head. So my face begins to heat up instead.

"Point is," I steer the conversation away from me. "That if you love this guy as much as you do, the rest of the town will like him too. Because it's your love that changes that changes him."

But Jill shakes her head. "You don't get it Vaughn. He _can't._ If I told you who he was, you'd probably think I'd be better with Rock. Like everybody else thinks."

Who could this guy possibly be? I wasn't beginning to doubt he was one of the bachelor's in Forget-Me-Not Valley. But I couldn't imagine anyone worse to marry than Rock. The guy calls himself, 'The Rock'. There's something physiologically wrong with the guy.

"He's not from here is he?" My thoughts are confirmed as she sadly nods her head, swirling her coffee around.

"Why don't you just bring him here and show everyone he's not as bad as they think?" It's a simply question, but I don't expect her outburst.

"NO!" She screams and jumps up from her seat, her coffee falling from her hands and spilling over the carpet. I look over at Chelsea, and breathe a sigh of relief when I realize she's still sleeping.

I turn back to Jill, who's standing there with wide eyes, shaking her head. "They'll take him! I can't…I can't…I can't…"

"Jill, breathe!" I place my hand on her arm, worried she might start hyperventilating. She nods her head obediently and takes a few shaky deep breaths.

She sits back down and I pick her coffee mug off the ground, and fill more coffee into it. Then I pass it back to her and she takes it with even shakier hands.

I leave the silence along as I ponder what she said. They'll take him? The villagers? But where would they take him? Away from here apparently, but I have no idea where.

Jill suddenly shakes her head and looks up at me. "I know you're trying to help Vaughn. And I appreciate it." She pauses and puts her coffee down on the counter. "But tomorrow I'm marrying Rock. And that's it. Nothing can change that."

She gets to her feet, and my gut starts twisting around. This wasn't right! "Jill…"

"I meant it Vaughn." She turns dagger eyes on me, amethyst on amethyst. "Keep your nose out of it. There's no good that can come of it."

I silently watch her walk over to her bed and collapse. A few minutes later, I hear her begin snoring.

My lips are twisted downwards in a slight frown. What the hell could be bad enough to make even determined Jill give up?

I dump the coffee down the drain; I could make more in the morning. Before I turn off the light, I walk over to Jill's bed. My heart clenches when I see her face streaked with silent tears. Gently, I brush them off with the sleeve of my shirt.

Then I switch off the light and climb back into the makeshift bed with Chelsea. An arm automatically wraps around my waist, and I smile down at my beautiful wife. Rock would never hold Jill this way. I knew it. Rock had called Jill 'babe'. That's not what you call someone you love. Baby, maybe; but not babe.

I shuffle downwards in the bed and burry my head in Chelsea's hair, making sure I'm not blocking her air. Her sweet scent drifts around me and surrounds me, and I feel more at ease. Slowly, I begin to drift off to sleep.


	9. Wedding Crash

**A/N: I am awesome. :) Hahahaha, this is my gift to you, as I will not update this story for another week or two on account of this HUGE research paper I have to write on the History and Chemistry of Fireworks. Plus I have an Algebra 2 test on Wednesday, an World History test on Friday and yada yada yada school stuff. But I think you should like this chapter. :) Chapters 7, 8 and 9 were all supposed to be together; but I like it spread out like this. :) So yeah, I hope you all like this new update, and don't forget to review! it makes me really happy! 3**

**I don't own Harvest Moon nor the song "All In: by Lifehouse. (Look it up! It's really good!) Any names associated with persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. (And not mine!)**

**I love you all! 3**

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**Wedding Crash**

"Chelsea, are you sure that's how you're supposed to make that?"

"Gosh Jill, have some confidence in your cuz. I know what I'm doing."

…

…

"Have you ever made this before?"

"Umm…no."

…

…

"Ooops!"

Clatter!

…

…

"Uh, Jill? You have a fire extinguisher right?"

"Yeah why?"

…

…

BEEEP!

BEEEEEP!

BEEEEEEEP!

AAAAGGGGGHHHH!

My eyes snap open and the second they do, I've jumped off the bed and yanked the fire extinguisher off it's holder by the door. A twist and a pull and the white steam stuff rushes out, effectively killing the fire on the stove.

I let out a deep breath once the fire's gone, and I wipe my brow as I shut the extinguisher off. I reach up towards the ceiling and flick off the fire alarm.

I put the extinguisher down and turn to the two women, a frown on my face. "What on earth were you two doing?"

"Making chocolate chip pancakes." Chelsea mutters softly, gesturing to the blacked heap of mess of the stove.

My shoulders drop and I shake my head as a small smile creeps up on me. "Chelsea, you know that you can't cook."

She smiles sheepishly at me. "I'm trying! I want to be able to cook _something_ for my husband."

I swear that woman has me wrapped around her finger; I couldn't be mad at her. "Come here you." I gesture with my hand.

She walks over to me and I wrap my arms around her in a huge hug, burying my face in her hair again. I never wanted to let go.

"How about I teach you to cook when we get back home?" I whisper in her ear, holding her as close to me as I possible could without undressing.

"I'd like that Vaughn." She whispers softly in my ear.

I pull back slightly, and cup her angelic face in my hands. For a moment, I just stare into those heavenly blue eyes of hers. How did I ever get lucky enough to deserve her?

I lean down and press my lips to her soft ones, once again reveling in her wonder and getting completely lost in the moment.

Chelsea giggles and breaks away from me. "So how about you fix the breakfast then, while Jill and I go over some last-minute wedding details?"

My feel my face hardens, but I agree and make the breakfast while watching Jill and Chelsea pour over a bunch of papers. I notice that none of us looked very excited. While Chelsea and I might not know the _entire_ story; we could both tell that this wasn't what Jill wanted.

* * *

Two hours later we're at the Harvest Goddess Pond, using it as a makeshift church. Believe it or not, this small town had a mine, a beach, and two farms, but no church. Go figure.

Everyone has pretty much taken their seats; rows and rows of fold up chairs were spread along the grass and everyone talked amongst themselves.

I stood at the back with Jill and Chelsea. I had been asked to walk her down the isle, and Chelsea was the bridesmaid. Rock was already at the alter, but I could see him winking over at Lumina, Romana's grand-daughter. It made me sick; he would end up destroying Jill's marriage.

For the millionth time it hits me that this just wasn't right. But Jill has given me a stern look every time, and I can't do anything about it.

"You ready Jill?" Chelsea asks her cousin softly.

I wait for her to scream that she wasn't, and find her real love in the crowd so they could be together. But that's a fantasy. And this is the real world; and some things don't turn out as you plan.

"I'm ready." Jill softly whispers back, and Chelsea nods to Lumina who was over by the piano.

Music starts to play a song that sounds like a death march. Chelsea walks first, and then I take Jill's arm and we make our way down.

"Jill, you don't have to do this." I whisper to her, trying one last time to get her to back out.

She ever so slightly shakes her head. "Yes Vaughn, I do. It's over. He doesn't matter anymore."

I glance over at her as we reach the alter, and I see her eyes shining with tears. Not only did that make me want to punch Rock, but it made me want to punch the guy who couldn't even man up enough to marry this girl.

"Who gives away this young lady today?" Thomas asks me. He's the mayor from the town over, but he volunteered to wed Jill and Rock.

"I…" My voice chokes; I could stop it all right here. Stop this madness from continuing. But I look in Jill's pleading eyes and my heart breaks. "I do."

I step to the side beside Chelsea, who grabs my hand and I look over to see that she's crying too. The feeling in my gut twists around again; this wasn't right!

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of this man and this woman." Thomas smiles at Jill and Rock, and I have to clench Chelsea's hand even tighter to keep from crying out.

"If there is anyone who does not approve of the union of this two, speak now or forever hold your peace."

I look around the room, but no one speaks up. I want to, and I know Chelsea does too; but we promised Jill.

Another moment goes by and I hang my head; as if we were at a funeral instead. It was done.

"I object."

My eyes snap open, and my jaw drops all the way to the ground. The crowd begins to whispers anxiously among themselves as a shadow steps out from behind the tree. And I know exactly who it is.

My half brother. Skye.

I sure as hell did not see that one coming. But now that I think about it, it made sense. Why Jill couldn't tell me who it was. Because he's _my_ half brother. And the reason she can't marry him. He's a thief.

He casually strolls down the aisle, not looking the least concerned that most of the people here are glaring daggers at him. My half-brother is just how I remembered him; silver hair too long to look masculine, tight pants, designer leopard print shirt and those blue eyes of his. Honestly, it was a wonder to me the guy wasn't gay.

But seriously, Jill fell for _him?_ This is who the strong headed farmer fell in love with? Well, Chelsea did fall in love with me so I guess anything is possible.

Skye comes up to the alter and looks over at us. "Why Vaughn, dear brother, I didn't know you'd be here." He actually has genuine surprise on his face, so his attempt to be aloof fails miserably.

He looks at Chelsea. "Dear Chelsea, I see you have a ring on your finger. You two finally got hitched?" He chuckles to himself. "Bout time. Last time I saw you two, the sexual tension between you guys could have lit a match on fire."

Chelsea blushes furiously and I have to admit that I did too. I remember being furious at Skye for flirting with Chelsea; those were some pretty crazy days. And it looks like those days aren't over.

Skye finally turns to Jill, Rock and Thomas. The joking comes out of his face, and all at once I see the pain that had been reflected in Jill's last night. His eyes shimmer with tears as they gaze on Jill in her simple white wedding dress.

"I object." He repeats softly. "I can't let you marry him Jill."

I can see the conflict raging in Jill's eyes. "Skye, why are you here? They'll put you in jail for sure!"

True enough the murmurs behind us were growing and I could tell they were getting agitated.

My jaw clenches; I may not like my half-brother very much, but Jill loved him. I knew she did. And I knew he loved her. He would never risk coming into a place like this, risking getting caught for just anyone.

"Everyone, stay in your seats." My voice is low, dark and menacing as I take a step forward and glare at the people in the crowd. "Just listen."

"Why should we?" A guy who looks like Elvis with sideburns stands up. I think his name was Marty. Or was it Marlin? Ah well.

"Because if you don't, I will break every single bone in your entire body." The words remind me of what I once told Will, and a smirk unconsciously appears on my lips.

"You're not related to them! This has nothing to do with you cowboy!" That one comes from an older looking guy with brown hair. He was the guy at the bar. Was his name Merlin or Griffin?

"Actually, I'm his brother." I gesture towards Skye. "And I'm the guy with a knife in his boots."

"You're bluffing!" The comment comes from the guy at the archeological site. Now was his name Carter or Cameron? Damn it, I'm bad with names.

Without taking my eyes off him, I reach down into my boot and pull out my switchblade. Then I open it and look at it. "And I have deadly aim when throwing this."

Finally they all seem to get the message and they sit down. I keep my knife in my hands; just in case. Man, this wedding was one for the history books.

Skye throws me a grateful look, the only one I've ever gotten from him in my life. He turns to Jill. "I don't care about getting caught anymore Pony." I notice he uses her nickname, and I notice the way her eyes soften when she looks at him.

"You hear me?" He grabs her hands. "I don't care anymore. I don't want to be a thief anymore. Not if it means I have to lose you."

"But what're you going to do?" Jill's eyes frantically search my half-brother's, and it reminded me of the way Chelsea and I searched each other; drinking in the image in case they disappeared again.

Skye drops down on one of his knees and looks up at Jill, still holding her hands. "First, I want to marry you Jill. You're the only woman I've ever truly fallen in love with, and the only one I would do anything for. You've had my back for years, even though you know who and what I was. I love you Pony, and I want to marry you."

Tears run down Pony's face as she drops to her knees with him. Her face breaks out in a huge smile as she breathes out, "Yes."

They kiss, and now I finally know what people feel like when they watch Chelsea and I. They were absolutely perfect for each other. Just too pure for words.

They break off, and they're both smiling, clinging to each other like a wet t-shirt to skin. "I love you Skye." I hear Jill whisper.

"And I love you my darling love Pony." Skye whispers back, kissing her again before they rise to their feet.

Then Skye does something I never would have believed he would do if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes. He turns to the crowd, lets go of Jill and drops down on both knees.

"I know I've wronged most of you here in Forget-Me-Not Valley. And for that, I am truly, truly sorry. If you would all please allow me to marry this beautiful farmer behind me, I would do anything in every bone of my body to make it all up to you. Please, give me a chance for forgiveness. I beg of you."

Wow. I was speechless and he wasn't even talking to me. I glance over at Chelsea, and she's just as shocked as I am. As is Jill.

"Well, he hasn't stolen crops from my farm in the past year." A woman with a booming voice speaks up. I think that was Vesta. Or was it Victoria?

"And he hasn't terrorized any of the girls in the past year either." That was the brunette related to the previous woman. Celia? Cecile?

"Nothing's been taken from the dig site either." The blonde assistant at the mine site. By this time I've given up on names.

"Give him a second chance!" Someone yells out from the back, and I see it's the hippie. "Everyone deserves love!"

Murmurs of agreement pass along the crowd and I smile at my brother as he rises from his knees. He smiles back at me.

"Thomas?" Skye turns around and gently takes Jill's arm. "I believe we have a wedding to continue."

That's when I notice that Rock had left the alter and was over by the piano making out with Lumina. Ugh. I hate that guy. Not as much as I hate Will, but still a lot.

Thomas laughs and begins to continue with the wedding. "Jill Lifehouse, do you take Phantom Skye do be your lawfully wedded husband? In sickness and health, in poverty and wealth, through the ups and the downs, 'til death do you part?"

"I do." Jill smiles and blushes as she looks over at Skye, the happiness I saw last night blooming like a flower in the moonlight.

"Do you, Phantom Skye, take Jill Lifehouse do be your lawfully wedded wife? In sickness and health, in poverty and wealth, through the ups and the downs, 'til death do you part?" Thomas smiles as he looks up at the once thief.

"I do." Skye answers and he pulls a ring out of his pocket. Looks like someone came fully prepared. I roll my eyes, even as I smile while Skye slips the ring on Jill's finger.

She slips a similar one onto his finger that I saw him pass her a second earlier. It makes me want to laugh out loud; because no one else saw it.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife." Thomas winks at Skye. "You may now kiss the bride."

And kiss her he does. In fact, I'm left wondering if he secretly went to _my_ wedding because he picks her up and spins her around in a kiss; just like I had with Chelsea when we got married.

There's actually a huge applause, and I finally put my knife away; knowing that it won't be needed anymore.

Suddenly, Skye grins. "I have a surprise for you Jill."

Before she can say anything, he runs over to me and whispers in my ear. "Can you get everyone out of their chairs so we can make a dance floor?"

I nod at him; a newfound respect for my half-brother growing inside of my heart. I whisper the request to Chelsea and we disperse among the crowd, passing along the message and working until the chairs are all out of the way.

Then Skye walks over to me again. "You still remember how to play the drums bro?"

"Do you remember how to breathe?" I counter his question, smirking at him. Playing the drums had been one of my favourite hobbies as a teenager; I remembered it like it was yesterday.

"Good." Skye smiles and brings out a guitar from behind a tree. I see Thomas drag a drum set over to where the alter had been moment ago. I smirk to myself; Jill really had Skye whipped.

My eyes linger on the drum set as I sit down on a stool and pick up the drum sticks. It's been too long. I adjust my position, and make sure my foot is near the pedal for the cymbals.

Skye walks up to me, with a headset securely attached and hands me my own. I attach it, and smile at the memory of the band we had tried to create as kids.

"You still remember All In?" Skye smirks at me, already knowing the answer as I play the first cord of the same song.

"I'd like to dedicate this song to my wife, Jill!" Skye talks into the headset, his voice echoing around the clearing.

Skye takes a pick into his fingers and begins to strum the guitar, smiling over at his wife; who stands next to mine; tears in both of their eyes.

"All night, staring at the ceiling counting the minutes I'm feeling this way. So far away and so alone." Skye's voice becomes deeper than normal, and a twinkle appears in his eyes. He loved playing the guitar.

"But you know it's alright, I came to my sense. Let go of my defenses. There's no way I'm giving up this time." I join in with a steady drum beat, relishing the refreshing feel of the drums. "Yeah, you know I'm right here. I'm not losing you this time."

Right on cue, I slam the drums hard, picking up the pace of the song as Skye simultaneously slams on the guitar. "And I'm all in, nothing left to hide; I'm falling harder than a landslide! I spent a week away from you last night."

Skye's grinning like an idiot, and I realize why he picked this song. It was his way of showing Jill how much he cared.

"And now I'm calling, calling out your name! Even if I lose the game, I'm all in, I'm all in tonight. Yeah, I'm all in, I'm all in for life." He winks over at his new wife, and she gives him that same flirty giggle Chelsea gave me all the time.

I slow the pace back down again. This was a real back and forth tempo song; but my brother and I love it. "There's no taking back what we've gots too strong. We've had each other's backs for too long. There's no breaking up this time."

Then Skye places a hand over his chest, halting the guitar part for a moment; but I keep the beat alive with the drums. "And you know it's okay, I came to my senses. Letting go of my defenses. There's no way I'm giving up this time."

Skye jumps in the air and slams his guitar as he lands back on the ground just as I slam the drums again. I'd forgotten how much fun this song was to rock out to.

"And I'm all in, nothing left to hide. I'm falling, harder than a landslide! I spent a week away from you last night." Skye nods his head at Jill, telling her that he really felt that way last night. And by the way Jill had reacted last night, I knew she felt the same.

"And now I'm calling, calling out your name. Even if I lose the game, I'm all in, I'm all in tonight. Yeah I'm all in; I'm all in for life."

Skye makes his way over to Jill and takes her hand, still softly strumming the guitar with the other. It was mostly my part now any way.

"I want it, I want it. Yeah, I want it, yeah I want it." Skye whispers to Jill as I sing quietly into my headset. "I want it, I want it, yeah I want it. I want it, yeah, I want it."

"And I'm calling, calling out your name." Skye is still standing next to Jill, and the melody is soft. "Even if I lose the game, I'm all in; I'm all in for life."

He steals a quick kiss from her before jumping into the air and slamming the guitar again with me, a grin lighting up his face. "And I'm all in, nothing left to hide. I'm falling harder than a landslide! I spent a week away from you last night. And now I'm calling, calling out your name. Even if I lose the game, I'm all in, I'm all in tonight. Yeah I'm all in; I'm all in for life."

He winks at Jill, still smiling that bright eyed little boy smile. "Yeah I'm all in; I'm all in for life."

We wrap up the song, and the applause is deafening. Who knew hatred could be vanquished by music? Well apparently Skye did; and man it was good to play drums again.

I lovingly place the drum stick down on one of the drums and make my way back to _my_ wife; who wraps her arms around me and promptly kisses me soundly on the lips.

"I didn't know you could play drums." She whispers, a smile on her face. "You'll have to play for me sometime."

I smile back at her. "I would love to. I just need to buy a set first." I kiss her again, making a mental note to myself to go and buy a drum set so I could play for her. A nice good romantic song for her.

"Thanks for supporting me Vaughn." Skye walks up to me, holding hands with Jill. "You know, it's really because of you that I managed to keep my love here."

Jill blushes and kisses him on the cheek before walking forward and giving me a peck on the cheek. "I know I said not to do anything Vaughn, but thank you. For doing something."

I nod at them, smiling as I hold Chelsea's small hand in mine as she speaks. "You two have a good day. It's the start of a new life for you two."

I motion to Skye with my spare hand. "Yeah and if he ever stray, just send him over. I'll straighten him out." Then I wink at her as Chelsea rolls her eyes.

"Come on cowboy. You owe me a dance." Chelsea drags me away from the new lovebirds as some of the villagers gather up the interments and begin to play a new song.

"I'd love to dance with you my dear." I smile fondly at her, looking forward to even more days, and years, with this wonderful woman.


	10. Surprise!

**A/N: Wow, I haven't updated this in a really long time! And I dearly apologize for that! But I was reading over these chapters and I just couldn't believe how cute everything is! When suddenly, an idea popped into my head! So here you all! I hope you all enjoy! Don't forget to review at the bottom! :)**

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**Surprise!**

My eyes open to see the sleeping face of my darling wife, Chelsea. I can't help but smile to myself. I lean forward and kiss her gently on the forehead. Goddess, I could never get enough of this girl. No matter how much I was with her, I always craved more.

Gently I unwrap her arm from around my waist, reluctantly moving away from the warmth her body provided. But I had a surprise to make for her and the newlyweds.

I still could barely believe that it was _Skye_ whom Jill fell in love with. My half-brother. But after hanging out with him all afternoon yesterday and learning more of what he'd been up to since I had last seen him, I realized that he had changed. Just like what had happened with me because of Chelsea.

I smile to myself as I glance at Jill and Skye, intertwined under the blankets of her bed. Soon, Chelsea and I would have to leave to let them have a real honeymoon.

I bite my bottom lip as I think back to my own honeymoon with Chelsea, even as I begin to make my surprise breakfast. Even though Chelsea and I had simply stayed at the farm, it was a wonderfully blissful time. Hell, anytime I had with her was like a blessing bestowed upon me by the Harvest Goddess herself.

I am so whipped.

Even though Jill, Chelsea and I had chocolate chip pancakes yesterday for breakfast, I'm making them again this morning. However, I also plan on making eggs, bacon and sausage.

Last night, while the three of them stayed out at the wedding party, I told Chelsea I was going to sleep early. Instead, I went over to Ruby's and bought all these ingredients for a marvelous breakfast that I would cook. I'm sure they'll love it.

Thankfully, I'm an early riser, so I'll have plenty of time to finish making breakfast before they all wake up.

Humming softly to myself, I mix the flour, eggs, butter and all the other ingredients needed for pancakes before I add the chocolate chips. I empty about three-quarters of the bag into the mixture before I decide there's enough. Then I leave the bag on the counter for me to snack on.

As I pour the mix onto the sheet, I pour it into letters. A pancake that looks like a C for Chelsea, a J for Jill, a S for Skye and a V for myself. Food is all about presentation.

I stick the pancakes into the oven and eat a handful of chocolate chips. As I munch on the chocolaty goodness, I stick the bowl into the dishwasher before starting on the rest of the breakfast.

The rest of the time flies by, sausages, bacon and pancakes all finished by the time the first person wakes up.

"Hey there handsome." A voice whispers in my ear as arms wrap around my waist. I smile as I pick up the frying pan to flip around the scrambled eggs.

"Good morning to you too beautiful." I greet Chelsea as I turn around and kiss her soundly on the lips. I lean back and look her up and down, in her fuzzy bunny slippers, shorts and tank top. Her hair is all in a mess, and there's sleep goo in the corner of her eye, but I still think she's the most beautiful creature I've ever laid eyes on.

She giggles softly and squirms her way in front of me, so that my arms were around her as I fiddled with the eggs. "What is this?"

"This is a special breakfast for my beautiful wife and her cousin, and my brother." I kiss her gently on her cheek, before I move away and dump the finished eggs onto a plate.

I feel her eyes follow me as I take the eggs and place them on the table along with the rest of the food and condiments I had set out on the table. I double check that there were enough utensils for everyone, and then I turn back to Chelsea.

"What?" I ask, catching her staring at me.

She grins, leaning against the kitchen counter. "Gotta love a man who can cook."

I chuckle softly and walk back over to her, and kiss her deeply. My hands rest on her hips, and I feel her arms slip around my neck as she kisses me back.

Someone coughs and I break my lips off of Chelsea's, but without letting go of her. I see Skye and Jill sitting up in their bed.

"What is this?" Skye asks.

I glance at the table full of food that I had made. "Breakfast?"

Skye's face turns sour and he shudders while Jill begins to laugh her head off. I shoot a confused look at Chelsea before Jill speaks. "He meant what you and Chelsea are doing Vaughn."

I grin. "Oh does that bug you now?" I lean back towards Chelsea and kiss her fully on the lips once again, hearing Skye's groan in the background before I break away from my smiling wife.

"You've become such a tease." Chelsea whispers at me.

"I learned from the best." I smile back at her, and kiss her one more time before grabbing her hand and leading her to the breakfast table.

I pull out a chair for her. "Madame."

She sits gracefully in the seat. "Why thank you sir."

I smile back at her, then look at Jill and Skye. "This really is breakfast you guys. Come get it!"

Jill giggles. "Come on Skye. We don't want to put all of Vaughn's hard work to waste now do we?"

"I guess not." He grumbles, still a little put off by my affection show for Chelsea.

"Make sure you all eat a lot!" I tell them all. "I made this specially for you."

"Awwww!" Chelsea lets out a pure squeal of delight. "I _love_ what you did with the pancakes Vaughn! This is just so cute!"

Jill leans over, and takes the J pancake. "I have to admit Vaughn, this is pretty bad ass."

Skye frowns. "I can cook too."

Jill laughs. "I know you can sweetie." She leans over and kisses him gently on the lips, and I see him perk up. "But this is Vaughn's treat, so let's enjoy it."

Skye sighs, faking being dramatic. "Well, alright then." He smiles at his wife as he takes the S pancake.

* * *

Breakfast passed wonderfully, with easy small talk and tons of jokes and laughing. It was a really perfect morning. I saw how much Chelsea enjoyed being with her cousin, and I made up my mind right then and there to come visit more often.

After breakfast is over, I begin to clean up. Jill goes outside to water her plants and take care of her animals. Skye follows after her, and Chelsea goes to lie down on out bed.

"Did you enjoy the breakfast my dear?" I ask her as I set the leftover food into packages to store in the fridge.

She sighs in content, her eyes closed. "Yes it was delicious. I'm stuffed!"

I laugh. "That was the idea."

We spend the next few minutes in silence as I wash up the dishes and Chelsea lies in the bed. After a half an hour, I've got the entire kitchen area spotless once again.

I glance over at Chelsea, who hasn't said a word to me that entire time. Her eyes are still shut, and now I realize that she's curled up into a ball.

Frowning ever so slightly, I walk over to her, and gently sit down next to her. I brush her hair out of her eyes, and then softly stroke her cheek.

Her eyes flutter open. "Vaughn? Weren't you washing the dishes?"

"I was." My brow creases in worry. "I just finished."

"Oh I'm sorry." She smiles up at my weakly before closing her eyes again. "I must have fallen asleep."

"Chelsea, are you okay?" I ask, worry apparent in my voice.

"Yeah." She smiles and opens her eyes again. "My stomach just hurts a little."

Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I didn't want to take any chances with her. I didn't want her getting sick.

"Come on." I stand up and offer her my hand. "We're going to go see Dr. Hardy."

"M'kay." She takes my hand, and I gently help her stand up.

I take my jacket off the corner of the bed and wrap it around her before we go outside, still worried about her health.

I keep my arm around her shoulder the entire way while we walk to Dr. Hardy's, even though it's not a very far walk.

I open the door without knocking, knowing that the doctor should be open. "Dr. Hardy?" I call out into the room.

The old doctor walks out from behind a door. "Yes?"

"Umm..." I lick my lips. "Chelsea isn't feeling so well. Could you see whats the matter?"

"Of course I can. I am a doctor." Dr. Hardy smiles and beckons to Chelsea. "Come here dear; let's see whats the matter."

I'm made to wait in the entrance of the house while Dr. Hardy takes Chelsea to the "examination centre". For ten minutes, I'm left there to fret with worry, pacing back and forth in front of the waiting chairs.

Finally Chelsea and Dr. Hardy come back, and Chelsea is beaming like she just won the million dollar lottery. She runs up to me and gives me a tight hug.

"What happened? Are you okay?" I ask, greatly puzzled by the sudden turnabout in attitude.

"Everything is amazing." Chelsea grins and looks up at me, her face practically glowing. "I'm pregnant!"


	11. Return to Sunshine Island

**A/N: Hehhe, summer vacation is awesome! I am quite enjoying my time, thank you all for asking! *winks* I even have my hair dyed purple! I think it looks amazing! Well, I have been writing a lot, and I have another update for you all while I sit here at the library. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks again, to everyone who follows my stories! I love you all!**

* * *

**Return to Sunshine Island**

"P-p-pregnant?" My jaw dropped as the alien word seems to swim around my mind.

"Yeah. Dr. Hardy checked three times." Chelsea beams up at me, her face practically glowing.

Wow. I mean, I knew that Chelsea and I had been trying to do this for years...but now that it's happening; I feel really surprised and unready for it.

"Come on Vaughn." Chelsea tugs on my arm. "We should go back to Sunshine Island."

She leads me out of Dr. Hardy's house, and I feel dazed; as if I'm walking around in a dream. Chelsea was pregnant? How did that happen?

Oh yeah.

"Pony! Skye!" Chelsea calls out to her cousin with a smile of pure happiness on her face.

The couple come running from the barn. Jill's eyes are wide as she reaches us. "What happened?"

"I'm pregnant!" Chelsea gleefully announces. Jill squeals in delight and the two go into the house, talking fast and giggling nonstop.

I feel someone slap my back. "Congrats bro! You're going to be a dad!"

I see Skye grinning smugly at me, clearly laughing at the idea of me being a parent.

I finally manage an emotion; I smirk back at my brother. "Wait until it happens to you."

That wipes the smug look off of his face. I chuckle under my breath.

"Seriously though," Skye begins, actually looking serious for once. "You're going to be a dad in a few seasons. Are you going to be alright?"

I raise an eyebrow at him. "You're being awfully thoughtful today. What's going on with you?"

He simply grins at me. "I'm a married man Vaughn. I've changed."

I roll my eyes. "You've been married less than twenty-four hours." I pause. "But that reminds me, if you do anything to hurt Jill, I will personably make sure the rest of your life is a living hell."

His face almost goes pale, but then he glances towards the house where both our wives are. He smiles and then slightly shakes his head. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I ever hurt her."

I nod back at him. "Maybe you have changed."

Skye smirks at me. "You sure haven't." He glances down at me. "Still wandering around in your boxers, eh Vaughn?"

I glance down an my face instantly flushes a dark red, even as I remember the time I woke from a semi-coma on the Island and ran to Chelsea's farm in my boxers.

I hurry inside, leaving Skye there to laugh at me.

The girls are sitting on the edge of the bed when I come inside. Jill glances back at me and giggles to Chelsea as I stride over to them to fetch my clothes from the foot of the bed.

"Forget something Vaughn?" She giggles at me as I get my pants on.

"Oh hush." I growl at her. "No one cared during breakfast."

"No one noticed during breakfast!" She laughs as I get my shirt on.

"Ha, ha, ha." I grumble under my breath. I didn't like being seen as forgetful.

"Oh, Vaughn!" Chelsea perks up. "We should get packing! That way we can leave for Sunshine Island today!"

I shake my head. "No can do Chels." She looks confused, so I explain. "The boat broke down yesterday. I found out when I was buying supplies from Ruby. It won't be fixed for another week at least."

"Oh." Chelsea looks disappointed. "I hope Julia won't mind."

I smile at my darling wife and sit down on the bed beside her. I wrap my arm around her waist and gently kiss her forehead. "I'm sure she doesn't mind. Besides, little Calvin and Ashlyn love that farm of ours."

Chelsea smiles. "Our farm." She leans her head on my shoulder. "I love our farm too."

Jill smiles. "Speaking of farms, I'd better go and make sure Skye isn't disturbing any of my chickens! For whatever reason, he doesn't like them."

She leaves us alone and I pull Chelsea onto my lap, and hold her close to me. I take a deep breath in, and her scent seems to surround me. Goddess, I could never get enough of her.

Chelsea sighs in content and leans back against me. Her eyes close and her lips turn up in a smile. "I love you Vaughn."

"I love you too Chelsea."

* * *

The boat isn't fixed for two weeks, instead of one. And by the time it is fixed, both Chelsea and I are itching to get back home.

"Promise you'll write!" Jill tearfully hugs her cousin goodbye.

Chelsea giggles. "Pony, I'm going home! I'm not going off to war!"

Jill smiles at her. "I know, I know. I've just loved having you here so much. You're free to come visit anytime."

"As you are at my farm." Chelsea hugs her cousin again. "I'll try and buy a phone soon, so then I can call you!"

"By all means, do!" Jill smiles and takes her husband's hand. "And we'll come and visit sometime too."

"Don't rush." I mumble under my breath, and Chelsea elbows me and then smiles, knowing that I'm joking.

"Seriously though," I smile at them. "You guys are both welcome to come and visit."

Skye grins. "Well, don't miss us too much! Or you won't get on that boat!"

Almost as if the captain had heard Skye's words, the boat horn blasts out.

"Alright, alright! Get going!" Jill grins and pushes Chelsea towards the boat. I grab our suitcases and bid farewell to our family members.

Hours later, we dock on the familiar sandy beach of Sunshine Islands. Second time in my life where I'd been happy to return home.

Chelsea has a suitcase in one hand and my hand in her other. I'm carrying the other suitcase and I have her shoes slung around my neck. The laces were tied together so they wouldn't fall.

She laughs at some bad joke I made as we enter the town. I look around, and I'm vaguely surprised that I don't see anyone around. But I shrug it off as nothing.

We enter our farm and drop off our luggage in the house before we go outside to inspect the field.

"Yikes." Chelsea grimaces as we scan the field. It was full of branches and stones and a plethora of weeds. "Guess Julia didn't have time to fix the field."

"Well, you can hardly blame her either." I glance at my wife. "She does have two kids to take care of."

I see her hand go to her flat stomach. "Well, let's go check on the animals before we go to town."

We stroll hand in hand to the barn as we talk about what crops we should grow this season. It felt nice to talk about life with her.

I open the barn and I hear Chelsea gasp. I turn to look inside, and I frown in puzzlement. The barn was completely empty!

"Where...where are my animals?" Chelsea asks me, her eyes wide as she turns to me.

"I don't know..." I pause and something pops into my head. "Wait here a sec..." And I dash off to the chicken coop.

I yank the door open, but the same sight greets my eyes. Empty space. I slam the door shut and turn around to call for Chelsea's dog.

"Stark! Stark!"

I pause for a moment as I wait for a response. When nothing happens, I call out the name again.

I feel something grab my arm. I stop calling, and look down to see Chelsea. Her face is worry stricken as she speaks. "We should see Julia."

I nod. She was right. Good of her to be calm when I'm freaking out. I can't help but smile at her as we head to Mirabelle's. She was just so amazing.

I knock on the door. "Julia?"

As we wait, I grip Chelsea's hand tightly. I wanted to know what was going on, but I was scared of the answer at the same time.

Slowly, the door opens. Julia's face pops out, and she smiles at us before turning away to cough roughly into the crook of her arm.

"Vaughn, Chelsea." She smiles weakly at us. "I was wondering when you two were coming home."

"Julia, are you sick? You should be in bed." I frown at her.

She smiles weakly. "I'm the healthiest out of everybody on the Island right now."

"What do you mean?" Chelsea asks. "What happened to my animals?"

Julia sighs wearily, suddenly looking as if she's aged fifteen years since we saw her two weeks ago. "Come inside, you two. It's a long story."

She disappears into the house without another word. Chelsea and I glance at each other uneasily, and then we go inside the house.


	12. Misery

**A/N: Ahhh...wow I really haven't written on this story in a long time. AND I OFFER A THOUSAND APOLOGIES FOR THAT! And I know this painfully short chapter doesn't offer much of an apology, but i'm having a major brain blockage for this story. Any ideas would be super helpful! :) I do hope you like the chapter, however short it may be, and I shall try to figure out where I want this story to head next. :) Love you all so much! And I hope you're all still interested is seeing this story through.**

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**Misery**

We walk into the room, and I can feel my stomach being twisted into knots. What had happened? What could have possibly happened in the two weeks that we'd been gone? Julia said she was the healthiest on the island…was there some sort of flu going around? But…that didn't explain where all of our animals were…

Julia gestures towards the couch. "Please, sit down. I'll pour you some drinks." She continues walking into the kitchen, pulling out a carton of milk.

Chelsea squeezes my hand tightly. I look over at her and feel my heart constrict with worry. I prayed that all those animals she'd raised and taken care of over the years were okay. But I had a sinking feeling that wasn't the case.

"Julia…" Chelsea starts, a horrible fear shining in her eyes. I could practically feel her trembling next to me. I release her hand and wrap my arms around her middle, holding her close to me, my hands locked over her stomach, reminding me of the precious gift that was slowly being made there.

Julia looks over at Chelsea's worried face, and gives her a slight smile of encouragement. "You guys should really sit down. This might be a lot to hear."

Fearing the worst, I gently pull Chelsea down to the couch next to me. I wrap my arm around her shoulder, rubbing softly to try and ease her tension, even though I know she won't be okay until she knows what's going on. I have to say I couldn't blame her.

Julia walks over to us, and hands us both mugs of warm chocolate milk. I grab my mug with one hand, leaving my other around Chelsea's shoulder. She grabs hers with both hands and takes a big gulp. I smile as I watch how adorable she is. My eyes never leaving her face, I take a sip of my own drink, licking my lips in appreciation for how Julia seems to manage to get hot chocolate to that perfect temperature every time without fail.

She takes a seat in a small chair across from us. "The first thing I should tell you is that there's only a handful of people on the island. It's just me, Gannon and Trent. I stayed behind in case you came back; I thought I would be the best one to break the news to you. Trent is here because I caught a cold, and he's helping me stay healthy. Gannon opted to stay behind to protect me and Trent."

"Protect?" Chelsea repeats. "Protect from what? And where's everyone else? Why'd they leave?"

I take another sip of my hot chocolate, rubbing Chelsea's shoulder. I turn my head and whisper in Chelsea's ear, "Dear, let her finish first. I'm sure she'll explain everything."

Chelsea takes a deep breath and visibly relaxes at the sound of my voice. She leans into me and takes a sip of her drink, nodding to Julia to continue. Julia shoots me a grateful glance. I nod back at her, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and how her body seems to sag by how weary she is.

"Everyone else left the island for their own safety." Julia looks down and pauses, and I know her thoughts are on her children. She must miss them terribly if she hasn't seen them in two weeks.

"We're not exactly sure what it is…" She pauses, wringing her hands together from nerves. "But there's something in the forest that's been terrorizing the whole island."

Her eyes dart to Chelsea's face before returning to her hands. She must be really nervous about how we're going to react. "Something….something that's been attacking people…and animals."

I watch Chelsea's eyes widen slightly, her whole face going cold, and I can practically see the gears in her head working out the meaning behind Julia's words. The sinking feeling in my stomach disappears, and I somehow know what Julia is going to say next.

"Chelsea…all your animals have gone missing." Julia looks up into Chelsea's eyes, and I squeeze her shoulder in what I hope will be comfort. "We don't know for sure where most of them are…but we've found a few of them…..dead."


End file.
